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ember,  tills  Magazine 
contains  more  readlnc;  matter 
than  any  other  juvenile  maga- 
zine published. 

Specimen  copies  sent  free  by  mail  on  appli- 
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cjj-t.    a.   \ThIs1"le,  or 

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Reel    OrOSS,   or  Young  America  in 
England  and  Wales. 

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>cculiarities  of  the  places  and  people  which  they 
contain."  —  Gazette. 

LEE  &  SHEPARD,   Publishers,  Boston.         <^ 


OLIVER  OPTIC'S 

LAKE   SHORE   SERIES. 

Six  VOLS.,  ILLUST.     PER  VOL.,  $1.25. 


Throash  by  Daylight ; 

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Shore  Railroad. 

Lightning  Express ; 

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On  Time; 

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Steamer. 

Switch  Off; 

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Brake  Up ; 

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Bear  and  Forbear ; 

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style,  and  to  a  ready  sympathy  with  the  dreams, 
hope*,  aspirations,  and  fancies  of  the.young  people 
for  whom  he  write*.  He  writes  like  a  wise,  over- 
grown bov,  and  his  books  have  therefore  •  fresh- 
ness and'raciness  rarely  attained  by  his  fellow 
scribes.  —  Christian  Advocate. 

LEE  &  SHEPARD,  Publishers,  Boston. 


OLIVER  OPTIC'S 

STARRY  FLAG  SERIES. 

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The  Starry  Flag; 

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Breaking  Away; 

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Seek  and  Find; 

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Freaks  of  Fortnne  ; 

Or,  Half  Round  the  World 

Make  or  Break; 

Or,  The  Rich  Man's  Daughter. 

Down  the  River; 

Or,  Buck  Bradford  and  his  Tyrants. 

These  books  are  exciting  narratives,  and  full  of 
stirring  adventures,  but  the  youthful  heroes  of  the 
stories  are  noble,  self-sacrificing,  and  courageous, 
and  the  stories  contain  nothing  which  will  il-i 
injury  to  the  mind  or  heart  of  the  youthful  reader. 
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Or,  The  Bunkers  of  Rippletoa. 

All  Aboard; 

Or,  Lite  on  the  Lake. 

Now  or  Never ; 

Or,  the  Adventures  of  Bobby  Bright. 

Try  Again ; 

Or,  The  Trials  and  Triumphs  of  Harry 
West. 

Poor  and   Proud; 

Or,  The  Fortunes  of  Katy  Redbum, 

Little  by  Little ; 

Or  The  Cruise  of  the  Flyaway. 

Boys  and  girls  have  no  taste  for  dry  and  tame 
things;  they  want  something  that  will  rtir  the 
blood  and  wnrin  the  heart.  Optic  alwavs  does 
this,  while  at  the  same  time  he  ir-  proves  the  taste 
and  elevates  the  moral  nature.  The  coming  gen- 
eration of  men  will  never  know  how  much  they 
are  indebted  tor  what  is  pun-  and  enobling  to  his 
•  writings.  —  R.  1.  Schoobnate. 

\#         LEE  &  SHEPARD,  Publishers,  Boston. 


OLIVER  OPTIC'S 

WOODVILLE  STORIES. 

Six  VOLS.,  ILLUST.    PeR  VOL.,  $1.35. 

Rich  and  Humble; 

Or,  The  Mission  of  Bertha  Grant 

In  School  and  Oat; 

Or,  the  Conquest  of  Richard  Grant 

Watch  and  Wait; 

Or,  The  Young  Fugitives. 

Work  and  Win; 

Or,  Noddy  Newman  on  a  Cruise. 

Hope  and  Have; 

Or,  Fanny  Grant  among  the  Indians. 

Ha«te  and  Waste; 

Or,  The  Young  Pilot  of  Lake  Cham- 
plain. 

Oliver  Optic  is  the  apostolic  successor,  at  the 
"Huh."  of  Peter  Parley.     He  has  just  completed  ; 
the   "Wno.lvi.ic    Stories,"  by  the  publication  or 
"  Haste  and  Waste."    The  best  notice  to  give  of 
them  is  to  mention  that  a  couple  of  youngsters 
pulled  them  out  of  the  pile  two  hours  since,  and 
are  yet  devouring  them  out  in  the  summer-house 
(albeit  anftimn  loaves  cover  it)  oblivious  to  muffin  : 
time. -A'.  Y.  Leader.  CJ 

LEE  4  SHEPARD,  Publishers,  Boston.        ij 


GOOSY  GANDER  CLUB.  —  Page  25. 


THJffi     PKOVERU     SERIES. 


A  WRONG  CONFESSED 


IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 


BY 


MRS.    BRADLEY, 

AUTHOK  OF  "HIKPS  OP  A  FEATIIEK,"  "IIAKHROME  is  THAT 

HANDSOME  DOES,"  "  JtUEAl>  UI'ON  THE  WATKK8," 
"JJOUGLASS    FAUM,"    ETC. 


BOSTON : 

LEE    AND    SHEPARD,    PUBLISHERS. 
NEW  YORK: 

LEE,  SHEPARf)  &  DILI.IXGIIAM,  4U  GREENE  STREET. 
1872. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1870, 

BY  LEE  AND  SHEPAKD, 
In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


Electrotyped  at  the 

Boston    Stereotype    Foundry, 

19  Spring  Lane. 


3727m- 


MT  "ROSE   OF  JUNE." 

WITH    SWEETEST    MEMORIES   OF  THE    CHILDHOOD    PAST; 

LOVING    THOUGHTS    OF    THE    GIRLHOOD    PRESENT; 

DEAREST    HOPES    FOR    THE    WOMANHOOD 

TO    COME. 


CEDAR  GLEN,  ON  THE  HUDSON, 
October,  1869. 


622S3; 


THE     PROVERB     SERIES. 


1.  BIRDS    OF  A  FEATHER. 

2.  FINE     FEATHERS    DO    NOT     MAKE     FINE 

BIRDS. 

3.  HANDSOME    IS    THAT    HANDSOME    DOES. 

4.  A     WRONG     CONFESSED     IS     HALF     RE- 

DRESSED. 

5.  ACTIONS   SPEAK  LOUDER   THAN  WORDS. 

6.  ONE  GOOD  TURN  DESERVES  ANOTHER. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  PACK 

I.    THE  BROWN  COTTAGE 9 

II.     "  AMBO." 27 

III.  THE  STAR-BABY 42 

IV.  VIOLET'S  HANDKERCHIEF 62 

V.     VIOLET'S  GRANDFATHER 84 

VI.     LAURA'S  IDEA 100 

VII.     THE  WRONG  PROPOSED 118 

VIII.     IN  THE  ORCHARD 127 

IX.     VIOLET  TO  THE  RESCUE 141 

X.     VIOLET'S  DILEMMA 161 

XI.    THE  WRONG  CONFESSED 178 

XII.     THE  WRONG  REDRESSED 203 

XIII.    THE  FAIR. 222 

7 


A  WftONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF 
EEDEESSED. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE    BROWN   COTTAGE. 

-  GUILFORD'S  cottage  was  one  of  the 
"  cosy  "  places  in  Englewood.  It  stood  far 
back  from  the  village  street,  so  surrounded  with 
trees,  and  shrubbery,  and  flowers,  that  one 
seemed  to  come  upon  it  unawares,  like  a  bird's 
nest  in  a  bush.  The  yard  in  front  was  full  of 
old-fashioned,  sweet-smelling  flowers,  big  bushes 
of  lilac,  and  sweet  syringa,  and  those  brown 
"  strawberry  shrubs  "  that  children  hide  in  their 
bosoms  for  the  fragrant  odor,  with  great  beds 
of  moss  pinks,  and  purple  pansies,  and  delicious 
little  violets  hiding  away  in  the  grass. 

Around  the  roots  of  the  two  large  fir  trees 
at  the  gate  they  grew  too  thickly  for  hiding,  and 
people  stopped  many  a  time  to  steal  a  handful 

9 


10        A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

of  the  blue-eyed  darlings  as  they  passed.  It  was 
pretty  well  known  that  Mrs.  Guilford  would  not 
mind ;  she  loved  flowers  so  dearly  herself  that 
she  was  always  willing  to  give  them  to  others  to 
enjoy ;  and  when  the  violet-stealers  walked  up 
through  the  pretty  green  yard  to  the  brown  cot- 
tage, —  as  they  often  did,  with  their  plunder  in 
their  hands,  —  she  was  quite  ready  to  come  but 
with  her  garden  scissors  and  cut  tulips  and  hya- 
cinths to  add  to  the  bouquet. 

At  this  rate  she  had  plenty  of  visitors,  one 
may  be  sure.  They  came  in  May,  when  the 
lilies  of  the  valley  were  breathing  out  their 
dainty  fragrance  ;  in  June,  when  the  roses  and 
honeysuckles  had  their  own  story  to  tell ;  in  July 
and  August,  when  heliotrope  and  verbena  over- 
ran the  beds  —  all  the  year  round,  in  short,  for 
Mrs.  Guilford  always  had  flowers,  in  doors  or 
out ;  and,  more  than  that,  always  had  a  smile 
and  a  welcome,  warm  as  sunshine,  sweet  as  May 
blossoms,  for  everybody.  • 

It  was  this  sunshiny  way  of  hers  that  made 
the  brown  cottage  cosy  within,  as  it  was  pretty 
without.  There  was  nothing 'costly  or  fine  in 
the  rooms ;  the  parlor,  the  dining-room,  the 
sitting-room,  and  the  nursery,  all  had  the  look 


THE    BROWN    COTTAGE.  II 

of  being  well  used.  Books  lay  about  as  if  they 
were  read  ;  the  piano  stood  open,  as  if  music 
was  a  habit ;  writing  materials,  drawing  mate- 
rials, fancy  work,  and  work  baskets,  with  the 
signs  of  more  practical  matters,  were  seen  every- 
where ;  not  in  slovenly  or  careless  fashion,  —  for 
Mrs.  Guilford  allowed  no  untidiness,  —  but  with 
a  home-like  air  of  cheerful  occupation.  People 
liked  to  come  there,  and  all  sorts  of  people  did 
come  ;  and  nobody  felt  in  the  way  or  not  wanted. 
And,  better  still,  those  who  lived  there  liked  no 
other  place  so  well. 

To  the  doctor  himself  it  was  the  most  perfect 
home  in  the  world.  He  rode  about  from  one 
patient  to  another  all  day  long,  and  now  was 
in  a  stately  mansion  that  would  have  swallowed 
up  half  a  dozen  brown  cottages,  and  now  in  a 
hovel.  And  he  would  as  soon  have  thought  of 
changing  his  own  little  nest  for  one  as  the  other. 
It  held  all  the  sweetness  he  wanted  in  life,  for 
his  wife  and  children  were  there.  And  the  young 
people,  for  their  part,  —  in  spite  of  having  am- 
bitions and  vain  longings,  as  young  people  must, 
—  found  "  no  place  like  home,"  after  all. 

There  were  three  of  them  together  in  the  cool, 
shady  parlor  one  warm  June  afternoon  —  Laura, 


12         A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

a  girl  of  fourteen,  with  bright,  dark  eyes,  heavy 
brown  hair  braided  in  a  thick  coil  about  her 
small,  shapely  head,  and  a  sensible  and  good- 
humored,  rather  than  pretty  face ;  Sydney,,  her 
twin  brother,  very  much  like  her ;  and  little  Fan, 
a  blue-eyed  and  flaxen-haired  maiden  of  five 
years,  who  sat  at  her  ease  in  the  broad  window 
seat,  making  paper  dolls. 

Laura  had  been  having  a  practice-hour  at  the 
pian.o,  and  Sydney  had  just  come  in  with  a  pile 
of  books  to  "  do  his  lessons  "  for  the  next  day. 
He  laid  them  down  on  a  table  near  the  piano, 
and  pulled  away  the  piece  of  music  that  Laura 
was  practising. 

"  Time's  up,  ma'am,  and  I  don't  want  any 
more  hammering ;  I'm  going  to  learn  my  les- 
sons," was  his  saucy  greeting. 

"Well,  that's  cool— isn't  it?"  Laura  looked  up 
with  a  good-humored  remonstrance.  "  Why 
can't  you  learn  your  lessons  somewhere  else  ?  " 

"  Because  there's  somebody  in  the  sitting-room 
chattering,  and  somebody  in  the  dining-room 
setting  the  table  for  tea,  and  Archie's  on  the 
rampage  in  the  nursery,  and  up  in  my  room 
it's  as  hot  as  pepper,"  said  Sydney,  categori- 


THE    BROWN   COTTAGE.  13 

cally.  "  It's  nice  and  comfortable  in  here  — 
would  be,  at  least,  if  you'd  be  quiet." 

"  As  if  I  wasn't !  "  exclaimed  Laura,  swinging 
round  on  the  music-stool.  "  You've  put  a  stop 
to  my  noise,  but  don't  curl  up  the  .edges  of  my 
'  Weber,'  Syd.  I  hate  things  that  are  mussed." 

"  You'll  be  an  old  maid,  if  you're  so  par- 
ticular." 

"  I  don't  care  if  I  am  ;  I  won't  have  my  music 
dog's-eared,  at  all  events,"  said  Laura,  putting 
away  her  Letzter  Gedanke  in  a  neat  portfolio. 
"  And  another  thing,  Syd :  mamma  objects  to 
dusty  shoes  in  the  parlor  —  though  you  can't  say 
that  she's  an  old  maid." 

Sydney  looked  down  at  his  feet,  and  made  a 
grimace.  "  I  forgot  my  shoes,"  he  exclaimed, 
and  ran  out  of  the  room  ;  coming  back  two  min- 
utes later  with  a  clean  pair  on. 

"  Will  that  suit  your  ladyship  ?  "  he  asked ; 
"  and  may  I  have  the  privilege  of  studying  my 
lessons  in  your  drawing-room  now  ?  " 

"Yes,  if  you  won't  tilt  your  "chair  back,  and 
put  your  feet  on  the  table.  That's  impolite  in 
the  presence  of  ladies,  to  say  nothing  of  spoiling 
the  furniture." 

"  Never   mind   the    furniture,"    said    Sydney, 


14        A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

easily.  "  We  haven't  got  any  that's  too  good  to 
be  used  ;  that's  one  comfort." 

"  Well,  I  do  believe  it  is,"  laughed  Laura ; 
"  though  sometimes  I  wish  we  had  velvet  car- 
pets, and  mirrors,  and  rosewood  etageres,  and 
silk  curtains,  as  the  Johnsons  have.  Their  draw- 
ing-room is  perfectly  elegant,  Sydney." 

"  I  bet  it  isn't  as  comfortable  as  this,"  said 
Sydney,  complacently.  "I  bet  they  keep  it 
shut  up  for  company,  and  don't  have  any  good 
of  it  themselves." 

"  O,  of  course,"  assented  Laura.  "  I  went 
there  with  mamma  once  last  winter,  and  we 
couldn't  see  where  to  sit  down,  until  the  ser- 
vant opened  a  crack  in  the  shutters.  It  was 
dark  as  a  pocket,  and  cold  as  a  barn  ;  but  when 
the  daylight  ivas  let  in,  the  room  looked  splen- 
did." 

"  I'd  rather  have  one  that  wasn't  so  splendid, 
where  the  daylight  could  stay  in  all  the  time," 
answered  her  brother.  "  In  fact,  I  don't  want 
anything  different  from  what  I've  got  already. 
I'm  thankful  mamma  hasn't  any  ridiculous  no- 
tions." 

"  So  am  I,"  responded  Laura.  "  Only  fancy 
our  not  being  allowed  to  sit  in  any  room  in  the 


THE    BROWN   COTTAGE.  15 

house  when  we  choose !  But  Annie  Carey  says 
that  Cathy  Johnson's  mother  scolds  like  — fury 
—  if  the  girls  go  into  that  precious  room  with- 
out permission.  Think  of  mamma  doing  such 
a  thing !  " 

"  Scolding  like  fury?  Excuse  me,  I  couldn't," 
said  Sydney,  with  a  superior  air,  "  any  more 
than  I  could  think  of  her  making  use  of  such  an 
expression." 

"  O,  dear !  "  cried  Laura  ;  "  how  fine  we  are 
all  at  once  !  You  never  make  use  of  expressions, 
of  course.  You  only  bet  when  it  would  be 
proper  to  suppose,  and  skedaddle  when  you 
mean  to  run  away,  and  talk  about  things  being 
bully  and  hunky-dory,  and  —  " 

"Where's  my  '  Keetel,'  I  wonder?"  inter- 
rupted Sydney,  irrelevantly.  "  I  brought  it  in 
with  me,  I'm  sure.  Did  you  meddle  with  my 
books,  Fan,  when  I  went  out  just  now  ?  " 

"  Fan  hasn't  stirred,"  said  Laura,  laughing ; 
"  and  there's  your  '  Keetel '  on  the  floor,  where 
you  dropped  it  yourself.  I  don't  wonder  you 
want  to  change  the  subject ;  but  you  mustn't  do 
French  lessons  just  this  minute  :  I  want  to  talk 
to  you." 

"  Of  course  —  you   always  want  to  talk,"  he 


1 6         A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

retorted,  taking  his  revenge.  "  Some  more  gos- 
sip about  your  neighbors,  and  how  Annie  Carey 
told  Georgie  White  that  Cathy  Johnson's  cousin 
Sue  heard  Nannie  Cox's  mother  scold  like 
fury !  " 

"  You  be  still !  "  and  Laura  gave  a  twitch  to 
his  curly  locks  —  her  favorite  mode  of  punish- 
ing his  boyish  impertinences.  "  As  •  if  I  ever 
said  anything  like  thai !  It  takes  a  boy  for  such 
a  '  string  of  stuff —  and  Nannie  Cox's  mother 
never  scolds.  She's  almost  as  nice  as  ours." 

"  O,  by  the  way,"  exclaimed  Sydney,  with  a 
sudden  recollection,  "  Charlie  Cox  told  me  some- 
thing to-day.  He  says  the  old  Van  Wyck  place 
is  sold,  and  a  family  from  New  York  are  com- 
ing up.  They're  going  to  have  it  all  pulled  to 
pieces,  and  made  over  again  as  fine  as  a  fiddle, 
Charlie  says." 

"Pull  the  old  house  to  pieces  !  what  a  shame  !" 
Laura  cried,  indignantly.  "  Why,  it's  like  a  pic- 
ture as  it  is." 

"  O,  not  taken  down,  but  overhauled,  you 
know,  and  cleaned  out,  'and  painted  up,  and  all 
sorts  of  things.  Charlie  says  he  saw  the  man 
that  bought  it.  He's  a  crusty  old  fellow,  with 


THE   BROWN   COTTAGE.  1 7 

goggles  and  a  knobby  cane,  and  Charlie  said  he 
looked  cross  as  Ajax." 

&   "I    thought    it  was  girls  that  talked  gossip," 
said  Laura,  significantly. 

"  So  it  is.  That's  not  gossip  ;  it's  news.  Can't 
you  see  the  difference  ?  " 

"  Yes,  just  as  much  as  between  tweedledum 
and  tweedledee.  Scolding  like  fury  and  looking 
cross  as  Ajax  come  to  much  the  same  thing  in 
the  end,  sir." 

"  I  guess  I'll  do  my  exercises,"  drawled  "Syd- 
ney. "  You're  much  too  smart  for  such  warm 
weather.  Fan,  where' s  my  pencil  ?  "  turning  to 
the  quiet  little  figure  in  the  window. 

"  I'm  usin'  it,"  was  the  sedate  answer. 

"  Well,  I  want  it.     Hand  over." 

"  Ain't  done  with  it  yet.  Got  to  finish  chim- 
min'  my  doll's  frock." 

"  Chimmin'f  what's  that?" 

"  She  means  trimming,"  put  in  Laura.  "  Let's 
see  your  doll's  frock,  Fan.  O,  what  ecstatic 
scallops !  "  as  the  child  held  up  her  work  with 
a  pleased  look.  "  Is  that  for  Kitty  Clover  or 
blue-eyed  Mary  ?  " 

"  No,  it's  Lady  Flora's  ;  and  I've  did  another, 

2 


iS         A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

too,  that's  prettier,"  said  Fan,  eagerly.     "  Look 
here." 

"  You've  did  it  —  what  did  I  tell  you  about 
that  yesterday  ?  "  exclaimed  Sydney. 

"  I  mean  I  done  it,"  she  said,  with  such  a 
complacent  assurance  of  being  right  now  that 
Sydney  shouted. 

"  You're  a  little  grammatical  heathen  ;  it's  no 
use   trying  to  teach  you,"   he  laughed.     "  Give  . 
me  my  pencil." 

But  Fan  held  it  tight,  and  made  up  a  griev- 
ous lip. 

"  Don't  take  it  away,  Syd  ;  let  her  keep  it," 
said  Laura,  quickly.  "  It's  early  yet,  and  I've 
got  something  to  tell  you,  truly.  Come  over 
here,  on  the  sofa." 

"  It's  all  nonsense,  I  know ;  "  but  he  did  as 
she  wished,  all  the  same. 

"  Now,  then,"  as  he  sat  down  by  her,  "  you 
know,  Sydney,  our  sewing  society  has  decided 
to  have  a  fair." 

"O,  don't  I?"  he  answered,  comically. — 
"Haven't  you  told  me  sixteen  times  before?" 

"  No,  I  haven't,  you  goose.  And  never  mind 
if  I  have.  I'm  going  to  tell  you  something  now 


THE    BROWN    COTTAGE.  19 

that  will  give  you  an  interest  in  it.  It's  been 
proposed  to  invite  you  to  join  the  society." 

"  Me  !  "  exclaimed  Sydney.  "  Much  obliged 
to  you  ;  but  I  can't  see  it.  What  would  a  boy 
look  like  in  a  sewing  society  ?  " 

"  Boys  might  as  well  make  themselves  use- 
ful, once  in  a  way,"  retorted  Laura,  "  as  for  girls 
to  do  it  all  the  time.  Any  way,  we've  made  a 
resolution  —  " 

"To  buy  thimbles  for  the  academy?"  inter- 
rupted Sydney.  "  I'll  tell  all  the  fellows  to  look 
out  for  'em." 

"  Don't  be  silly.  We've  no  money  to  waste 
on  clumsy  fingers,  ajid  we  can  do  our  own  sew- 
ing. It  isn't  that  we  want  of  the  boys." 

"  What  is  it,  then  ?  "  he  asked  more  seriously, 
as  he  saw  that  Laura  was  really  in  earnest. 

"  Well,  I  dare  say  you  will  laugh  ;  and  I  don't 
know  if  you  will  be  willing  —  you  or  any  of  the 
other  boys.  But  we've  been  talkinj  about  it  in 
the  society,  and  we  thought  perhaps  you,  and 
Harry  Walker,  and  Charlie  Cox,  and  Sam  Ha- 
ven, and  the  rest  of  our  brothers,  you  know,  — 
we  shan't  ask  any  strangers,  of  course,  —  would 
like  to  be  honorary  members.  Now  don't  laugh," 
—  for  Sydney's  face  was  puckered  up  with  a  droll 


2O         A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

expression,  —  "  but  just  hear  me  out.  We're 
going  to  have  a  fair,  and  we  want  it  to  be  real 
nice,  and,  of  course,  we  want  all  the  help  we 
can  get." 

"  Lots  of  help  you'll  get  out  of  boys !  "  Syd- 
ney interpolated,  derisively.  "  Can  they  make 
pin-cushions  and  book-marks  ?  " 

"  Some  boys  can,  for  I've  seen  them.'" 

"  Muffs  !  "  was  his  comment. 

"  No  such  thing.  Sam  Haven  isn't  a  muff, 
you  know,  and  he  worked  a  beautiful  pin-cushion 
for  his  aunt.  It  was  in  all  the  shades  of  scarlet, 
and  very  nicely  done.  He  used  to  amuse  him- 
self with  it  last  winter,  in  the  long  evenings ; 
Carrie  told  me  so.  However,"  she  added, 
hastily  x  "  it  isn't  anything  of  that  sort  we  want, 
as  I  told  you  before.  What  we  do  want  is 
sometlring  that  boys  can  do  better  than  girls, 
because  they  have  penknives  and  tools,  and  are 
always  whittling." 

"  O,  I  see,"  said  Sydney,  "  you  want  little 
brackets,  and  picture-frames,  and  wooden  knick- 
knacks." 

"  Yes,  exactly ;  and  some  boys  are  so  clever 
about  those  things.  Carrie  Haven  showed  me  a 
book-rack  that  her  cousin,  Bert  Holroyd,  had 


THE    BROWN    COTTAGE.  21 

made  for  her.  The  ends  were  all  carved  in  open- 
work, with  her  initial  in  the  centre.  It  was  just 
as  handsome  as  any  of  those  things  one  buys  in 
the  shops." 

"  That's  all  veiy  well  for  Bert  Holroyd,"  said 
Sydney,  with  a  shrug  of  his  shoulders.  "  But 
everybody  isn't  a  genius  in  wood-work.  I 
couldn't  do  it,  you  know." 

"  You  can  make  beautiful  boats,  though,"  said 
Laura,  warmly.  "  That  toy  ship  you  rigged  for 
Archie  was  pretty  enough  to  sell  at  any  fair. 
And  didn't  you  make  a  bedstead  for  Flossie's 
doll,  and  a  paper-knife  for  me  —  besides  all  those 
building-blocks  in  the  nursery  ?  You  can  do  lots 
of  things !  " 

"  O,  yes  —  that  sort  of  trash,"  he  answered, 
coloring  up,  though,  with  pleasure  at  her  praise. 
"  If  a  fellow  can  be  —  what  do  you  call  it?  —  an 
honorary  member  on  the  strength  of  that  —  " 

"  Then  you  will  ?  "  asked  Laura,  eagerly.  "  If 
you  join  us,  the  other  boys  won't  refuse,  I  know  ; 
and  really,  Syd,  we'll  have  some  fun  out  of  it 
as  well  as  work.  We'll  let  you  come  to  the 
meetings  sometimes,  and  may  be  we'll  have  a 
picnic." 

"  That's  jolly  — but  what  for?" 


22         A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HAtF  REDRESSED. 

"  Why,  to  collect  material.  You'll  want  wood 
to  whittle,  and  we  want  mosses,  and  ferns,  and 
wild  flowers,  to  work  up  into  all  sorts  of  pretty 
things.  Little  Olive  —  Elsie  Raymond's  lame 
sister,  you  know  —  makes  the  most  beautiful 
crosses,  and  wreaths,  and  moss  baskets.  She 
hasn't  anything  else  to  do,  poor  little  thing,  and 
Elsie  says  she's  quite  delighted  to  think  of  work- 
ing for  the  fair." 

"  Have  you  said  anything  about  it  to  any  of  the 
other  fellows  ?  "  asked  Sydney. 

"  I  haven't,  of  course  ;  but  I  dare  say  Lizzie, 
and  Carrie,  and  Gertie,  and  the  rest,  have  been 
talking  to  their  brothers,  as  I  have  to  you,  this 
afternoon.  It  was  only  to-day,  at  recess,  that  we 
decided  on  the  measure,"  continued  Laura,  with 
a  little  important  air.  "  Boys  are  not  always 
desirable,  you  see.  Sometimes  they're  very  much 
in  the  way." 

"  O,  if  that's  the  case  —  "  Sidney  began  mis- 
chievously. 

"  But  it  isn't  in  this  case,"  she  made  haste  to 
add.  "  We  decided  that  the  boys  we  meant  to 
invite  could  help  us  a  great  deal,*  if  they  chose. 
So  we  all  agreed  to  propose  it  this  afternoon ; 
and  then,  if  it's  settled,  we'll  have  a  meeting  next 


THE    BROWN    COTTAGE.  23 

Saturday,  and  arrange  things,  and  present  you 
all  with  badges  of  membership." 

"  With  'wh-a-t  ?  "  Sydney  jumped  up  with  so 
absurd  a  face  that  Laura  burst  into  a  laugh. 
"  Have  we  got  to  wear  badges,  like  a  Sunday 
school  procession  ?  O,  come  now,  that's  a  little 
too  much." 

"  No,  it  isn't,  either,"  she  insisted,  merrily. 
"  You  are  going  to  have  beautiful  blue  ribbons, 
all  embroidered  with  the  motto  of  the  society, 
and  they'll  look  elegant  on  your  military  uniform. 
The  girls  will  wear  them,  too  ;  and  then  every- 
body will  know  we  are  one  society.  I  think  you 
ought  to  feel  highly  honored." 

"  To  make  a  guy  of  myself !  and  what's  the 
precious  motto,  I'd  like  to  know  ?  " 

"  O,  that's  the  trouble,"  confessed  Laura,  with 
an  anxious  look.  "  If  we  have  you  boys  in,  we 
can't  call  ourselves  just  the  sewing  society  any 
longer.  We  ought  to  have  some  kind  of  a  mu- 
tual name,  and  a  Latin  motto,  and  they've  all 
left  it  for  me  to  choose.  What  shall  it  be  ?  See 
if  you  can't  think  of  something." 

Sydney  puckered  up  his  forehead,  and  pon- 
dered diligently  for  a  minute.  Presently  a  mis- 


24         A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDKESSED. 

chievous  twinkle  came  into  the  corner  of  his  eye, 
and  he  said,  demurely,  — 

"  I've  thought  of  a  name,  and  perhaps  I  can 
fit  it  with  a  motto,  too.  Wait  a  minute." 

"  Tell  me  what  the  name  is  first,"  she  an- 
swered, eagerly. 

"  Guess.     I'll  give  you  the  initials  —  G.  G.  C." 

"  G.  G.  C. !  "  Laura  repeated,  looking  mysti- 
fied. "  How  can  I  tell  what  that  means?  I 
can't  think  of  anything  but  Good  Girls'  Club, 
and  of  course  you  wouldn't  be  so  ridiculous." 

"  O,  of  course  not,"  he  responded,  with  the  air 
of  one  who  would  scorn  to  do  such  a  thing. 
"  Try  again." 

"  What's  the  use  of  guessing  when  you  can 
tell  me  ?  Don't  be  aggravating,  Syd,  if  you  are 
a  boy." 

"Hi  tell  you,  will  you  promise  to  adopt  it, 
and  work  the  initials  on  your  badges  ?  " 

"  No,  indeed,"  said  Laura,  promptly,  suspect- 
ing mischief;  "  not  till  I  know  whether  it's 
suitable." 

"  Take  that  for  granted,"  he  persisted,  with  the 
same  virtuous  air.  "  I  assure  you  it  couldn't  be 
more  so.  Takes  in  boys  and  girls  both,  and  de- 
scribes the  whole  thing  perfectly." 


THE    BROWN    COTTAGE.  25 

"  Very  good  ;  but  I  won't  risk  my  promise  till 
I  hear  it.  What  does  G.  G.  C.  stand  for? " 

"  It  stands  for  — what  a  doubting  Thomas  you 
are ! "  he  exclaimed,  suddenly,  moving  away 
from  the  sofa. 

"  Dear  me  !  how  well  it  fits  the  initials ! " 
was  her  quick  retort.  "  If  that's  the  best  you 
can  do  —  " 

"  Well,  if  you  must  know,"  Sydney  began, 
with  a  wicked  look,  that  prepared  Laura  for 
what  was  coming,  "  and  you're  so  stupid  that 
you  can't  guess,  it  stands  for  —  Goosy  Gander 
Club!" 

And  with  a  shout  of  saucy  laughter  at  his 
own  smartness,  he  jumped  aside  to  escape  the 
dash  at  him  which  former  experiences  with 
Laura  had  taught  him  to  expect.  But  he  did 
not  take  account  of  a  hassock  that  stood  in  the 
way,  and  it  proved  a  pitfall  to  him.  Plunging 
over  it,  he  came  down  head  foremost,  and  lay 
at  her  mercy  next  minute,  with  his  heels  in  the 
air.  Such  a  splendid  opportunity  was  not  to  be 
neglected  ;  and  Laura  pounced  upon  him,  strug- 
gling and  choking  with  laughter,  and  pinched 
and  pommelled  him  to  her  heart's  content.  Little 
Fan  looked  on  with  demure  "enjoyment  of  the 


26         A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

fun,  maintaining  a  strict  neutrality,  in  spite  of 
Sydney's  appeals  for  help ;  and  Laura  made 
him  eat  "  humble  pie  "  to  her  complete  satis- 
faction, before  she  allowed  him  to  regain  his 
"  centre  of  gravity." 


AMBO.  27 


CHAPTER    II. 

"  AMBO." 

TV  /TRS.  GUILFORD  believed  in  the  policy 
of  non-intervention,  with  certain  limita- 
tions. She  heard  the  tumble  and  scuffle  in  the 
parlor,  and  listened  attentively,  to  discover  if 
there  were  any  sounds  of  anger,  or  real  trouble. 
Not  perceiving  any,  she  chose  to  let  them  settle 
the  matter  after  their  own  fashion.  She  was 
prompt  to  interfere,  restrain,  and  prevent,  if  fun 
degenerated  into  rudeness,  or  dispute  into  real 
vexation  of  spirit ;  but  that  seldom  happened, 
quarrelling  in  earnest  not  being  a  habit  at  the 
brown  cottage. 

On  the  contrary,  the  rule  of  the  house  was, 
"  Little  children,  love  one  another"  It  had 
been  the  nursery  motto  from  the  beginning  of 
things,  and  had  been  kept  before  all  eyes  by  a 
variety  of  ingenious  devices,  which  the  doctor 
used  to  laugh  at,  though  he  heartily  approved  all 
the  same. 


28         A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

It  hung  up,  as  a  splendid  illuminated  text,  — 
all  blue,  and  red,  and  gold,  —  over  the  crib 
where  Laura  and  Sydney  used  to  tumble  together 
in  their  childhood.  Then  it  made  an  ornamental 
inscription  on  the  cornice  of  Laura's  first  baby- 
house,  and  shone  conspicuously  on  the  locomotive 
of  Sydney's  first  train  of  cars.  Letter  blocks  had 
been  made  to  spell  out  the  sweet  precept,  and 
picture-books  to  illustrate  it,  with  a  patient  inge- 
nuity on  the  part  of  the  loving  mother,  until  it 
became  the  first  practical  lesson  of  life  to  all  the 
little  Guilfords.  She  found  it  easier  to  teach 
them  duty  to  God  and  obedience  to  parents, 
when  they  had  learned  that  love  was  the  rule  and 
reason  for  all  goodness. 

So  it  happened  that,  while  they  all  had  their 
share  of  faults  and  follies,  —  who  hasn't?  —  they 
gi'evv  up  in  an  atmosphere  of  love,  that  made 
them  forbearing  and  considerate,  and  prevented 
the  pessibility  of  the  wrangling  and  unkindness 
that  are  too  often  seen  among  brothers  and  sisters. 
Their  disagreements  never  lasted  long,  or  held 
bitterness,  because  they  loved  each  other,  and 
could  not  bear  the  pain  of  separation,  even  in 
feeling. 

In  the  present   afiair   there  was  nothing  but 


AMBO.  29 

fun,  which  Sydney  enjoyed  as  much  as  Laura,  in 
spite  of  having  got  rather  the  "worst  of  it.  He 
scrambled  up,  all  flushed  and  tumbled,  with  his 
curly  hair  like  a  mop,  and  his  eyes  sparkling 
with  merry  excitement. 

"  Don't  you  touch  me  —  don't  you  dare  !  " 
Laura  screamed,  for  there  was  a  wicked  look  in 
them  that  boded  retaliation.  His  only  answer 
was,  to  snatch  her  suddenly,  and  whirl  her  round 
and  round  till  they  were  both  dizzy  as  tops  with 
the  wild  waltz,  and  sank  together  exhausted  upon 
the  sofa. 

"  "'Now,  then,  let  us  have  peace !  as  General 
Grant  says,"  he  gasped,  out  of  breath.  "  Tit 
for  tat's  fair  play,  Miss  Laura,  and  one  good  turn 
deserves,  another." 

"  It's  nice  to  quote  proverbs,  and  '  our  distin- 
guished president,'  "  pouted  Laura,  with  a  rueful 
face.  "  But  look  at  my  hair  !  " 

The  glossy  braids  were  all  tumbling  apart  in 
a  picturesque  disorder  that  she  knew  would  not 
be  admissible  at  the  tea-table.  It  was  something 
of  a  task  to  rearrange  them  in  the  shapely  coil 
upon  which  she  prided  herself,  and  she  had  her 
lessons  to  learn,  besides,  before  tea.  So  she  had 
to  content  herself  with  a  parting  pull  at  her 


30    A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

brother's  equally  dishevelled  hair,  and  run  up 
stairs  to  make  herself  tidy  again,  as  speedily  as 
possible. 

Sydney  was  deep  in  his  French  exercise  when 
she  came  back.  Little  Fan  had  given  up  the 
pencil,  and  gone  to  look  for  other  amusement, 
and  the  room  was  quiet  enough  now.  So  Laura 
settled  heYself  soberly  to  her  tasks,  and  for  the 
next  hour  there  was  no  sound  heard  but  the 
scratch  of  pencils  on  paper,  and  the  little  hum- 
ming whisper  with  which  girls  always  get  their 
lessons  by  heart. 

They  were  both  good  students,  as  boys  and 
girls  go.  Sydney  was  a  day  pupil  at  the  Military 
Academy,  and  ranked  well  in  all  his  classes ; 
Laura  was  with  Mrs.  Delancy,  at  The  Glen,  a 
classmate  with  our  old  friends  Elsie  Raymond 
and  May  Barnard,  and  ambitious  to  keep  up  with 
their  steady  march  of  improvement.  The  one 
study-hour  at  home  —  which  was  all  the  doctor 
allowed,  on  hygienic  principles  —  was  generally 
made  the  most  of  by  both  of  them ;  and  when 
it  came  to  a  close  this  afternoon,  with  the  tinkle 
of  the  tea-bell,  a  good  deal  had  been  accom- 
plished. 

The  exercises  were  made  out  correctly,  and 


AMBO.  31 

Sydney  had  learned  his  irregular  verbs,  worked 
out  his  "  theorems,"  and  construed  his  page  of 
Sallust ;  while  Laura  had  mastered  her  tasks  in 
French  and  English  grammar,  and  taken  various 
steps,  geographical  and  historical,  in  a  general 
pursuit  of  knowledge.  k 

They  were  quite  hungry  enough  to  enjoy  their 
tea  when  it  came  ;  and  tea,  at  the  brown  cottage, 
was  always  what  Laura  called  "  nice."  Not 
with  exclusive  reference  to  the  celestial  beverage, 
which  was  nowhere  more  so  than  at  Mrs.  Guil- 
ford's  table,  but  as  a  generally  convivial  occasion, 
when  everybody  was  expected  to  be  what  Sydney 
called  "jolly." 

The  doctor  made  a  conscience  of  coming 
home  to  it  punctually.  His  breakfasts  were  apt 
to  be  hurried,  and  his  dinner  very  often  forgotten, 
in  the  excitement  of  an  urgent  "  case  ;  "  but  he 
managed,  as  a  rule,  to  so  arrange  the  day's  work, 
that  he  could  take  his  evening  meal  in  leisurely 
comfort  with  his  family.  This  was  the  children's 
hour  for  seeing  their  father,  discussing  their 
various  plans  and  projects  that  required  his  sanc- 
tion, preferring  petitions,  and  obtaining  indulgen- 
ces. They  circled  the  pretty  round  table,  looking 
as  fresh  and  sweet,  in  the  doctor's  eyes,  as  the 


32         A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

flowers  that  always  ornamented  it.  Their  clean, 
smiling  faces,  their  shining  hair,  their  little  white 
pinafores,  were  all  beautiful  to  him,  and  always 
delightful ;  his  heart  expanded  with  the  same 
genial  happiness  every  evening  as  he  took  his 
seat  amongst  them,  whatever  the  cares  or  vexa- 
tions of  the  day  might  have  been  before.  For 
this  hour  everything  else  was  put  by,  and  the 
young  people  had  it  all  their  own  way  with 
him. 

There  was  chatter  enough,  as  usual,  to-night. 
The  pinafores  had  their  father's  ear  first  by  com- 
mon consent,  and  eveiy  one  of  them  had  a  spe- 
cial tale  for  him.  Archie,  the  three-year-old 
"  baby,"  dumpling  cheeked,  and  slow  of  speech, 
stumbled  through  a  deeply-interesting  history  of 
his  "  yubber  ball,"  that  he  dropped  down  the 
well,  and  Sydney  fished  up  again  in  the  bucket. 
Fan  had  found  a  quarter  —  a  real  silver  quarter 
—  nt  the  root  of  a  weed  in  her  own  little  garden. 
Papa  must  speculate,  as  everybody  else  had  spec- 
ulated vainly  before,  upon  the  how  and  when  of 
its  getting  there,  and  give  his  advice,  moreover, 
upon  the  best  investment  for  such  a  fortune. 
Flossy,  the  chatterbox,  who  always  had  adven- 
tures to  relate,  made  a  marvellous  story  about  a 


AMBO.  33 

strange  cat  that  almost  caught  the  canary.  And 
Sydney  and  Laura  chimed  in,  as  they  got  oppor- 
tunity, with  a  jumble  of  school  matters,  sewing 
society,  fairs,  and  honorary  members,  until  the 
doctor  grew  fairly -bewildered  with  the  confusion 
of  tongues. 

"  It's  a  little  more  than  usual  to-night,  it  seems 
to  me,"  he  said,  resignedly.  "  If  you  wouldn't 
all  talk  at  once,  I  might  get  an  idea  of  what 
you  are  talking  about.  Who's  going  to  have 
a  fair?  Fan,  on  the  strength  of  that  silver 
quarter  ?  " 

"  O,  papa,  no  I"  Laura  began,  and  Flossy 
caught  it  up,  glibly. 

"  It's  the  sewing  society,  papa,  you  know  ;  and 
I  wish  I  was  as  big  as  Laura,  so  I  could  belong 
to  it.  Can't  I  have  a  quarter,  though,  as  well  as 
Fan  ?  I  dug  up  every  weed  in  my  garden,  but  / 
couldn't  find  one  !  " 

"  O,  and  don't  you  think,"  exclaimed  little 
Fan,  with  a  lofty  air  of  wisdom,  "  she  dug  up 
ever  so  many  of  her  pretty  flowers !  Did  she 
think  anybody  planted  quarters?  /  told  her 
not  to." 

"  People  plant  funnier  things  than  quarters 
sometimes,"  said  the  doctor.  "  I  was  reading, 
3 


34        A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

the  other  clay,  Fan,  about  a  little  boy  who  planted 
his  shoes  and  sowed  his  stockings." 

Fan  looked  scornful.  "  They  didn't  come 
up,  I  know,"  she  returned,  confidently. 

"  Yes,  they  did,  too,"  put  in  Sydney,  quickly, 
who  knew  the  story.  "  Isn't  it  true,  papa?  " 

The  doctor  laughed,  and  nodded,  "  seeing  the 
point,"  and  Fan's  eyes  grew  round  with  incred- 
ulous wonder. 

"  Stockin's  an'  shoes  don't  grow,"  she  per- 
sisted, with  a  puzzled  look,  elevating  her  little 
red  morocco  boot  to  the  level  of  the  table,  as  if 
to  assure  herself  more  fully.  "  Things  can't 
grow  without  roots  —  don't  I  know?  " 

"  Did  they  really,  papa?  Tell  me  about  it," 
pleaded  Flossy. 

"  Why,  it  was  a  little  boy  who  was  fond  of 
making  experiments  —  like  you,"  said  the  doc- 
tor. "  He  slipped  away  from  his  nurse  one  day, 
and  was  having  a  fine  time  in  the  garden,  all 
alone,  when  the  nurse  missed  him,  and  found  him 
out.  He  had  the  hoe  and  the  watering-pot,  and 
there  was  a  great  deal  of  fresh  mud  on  his  face, 
and  hands,  and  clothes ;  but  that  was  nothing 
new.  The  singular  thing,  was,  that  his  little  toes 
were  all  bare,  and  there  was  no  sign  of  his  shoes 


AM  BO.  35 

and  stockings.  The  nurse  scolded,  and  shook 
him,  and  slapped  him,  but  he  wouldn't  tell  what 
he  had  done  with  them,  until  at  last  she  declared 
she  would  shut  him  up  in  the  dark  cellar.  And 
that  was  too  much  for  his  courage ;  so  he  sobbed 
out,  '  I  pup-  planted  my  shoes,  an'  sus-  sowed 
my  stockin's  !  ' ' 

"  Poor  little  fellow  1 "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Guilford. 

• 

"  He  thought  he  was  going  to  raise  a  crop  of 
shoes  and  stockings." 

"  Yes,  and  the  heartless  nurse  crushed  his 
hopes  by  digging  up  the  seed,"  laughed  the  doc- 
tor. "  That's  the  way  they  came  up,  Fan  — 
they  were  dug  up." 

Fan  turned  up  her  little  nose  at  Sydney,  and 
observed,  loftily,  that  "  he  thought  he  was  smart ; 
but  didn't  she  kno\y  all  the  time  ?  Anything 
could  come  up  if  it  was  took  up." 

And  Archie  dropped  the  big  strawberry  that 
was  half  way  to  his  mouth,  to  state  solemnly  that 
"  his  yubber  ball  corned  up,  too" 

Whereupon  everybody  laughed  again,  as  if  the 
little  dumpling  had  said  something  wonderfully 
witty  and  clever.  But  laughing  comes  so  easy, 
if  people  are  only  in  a  good  humor  ! 

"  I  do  think,  though,"  Laura  put  in,  pleading- 


36         A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

ly,  "  that  you  might  talk  to  me  a  little  now, 
papa.  Can't  the  children  be  quiet?  I  want  to 
tell  you  about  our  fair,  and  I  want  you  to  take 
an  interest  in  it." 

u  Fairs  !  "  exclaimed  the  doctor,  mischievous- 
ly. "  They  are  the  most  ruinous  things  in  the 
world.  They  swallow  up  principal  as  well  as 
interest.  Don't  ask  me." 

"  Of  course  I  want  some  money,  by  and  by," 
said  Laura,  coolly.  "  But  it's  only  advice  just 
now.  We're  going  to  reconstruct  our  society, 
you  know.  We've  only  been  girls  before,  and 
now  —  " 

''You  are  going  to  make  boys  of  yourselves? 
Good  gracious  !  "  The  doctor  raised  his  hands 
with  an  air  of  dismay. 

"  Not  tomboys,  I  hope,"  Mrs.  Guilford  added, 
merrily.  And  Laura  gave  her  shoulders  a  little 
jerk  of  comical  impatience. 

"  O,  dear !  how  everybody  does  interrupt ! 
Now,  between  you,  you've  scattered  all  my 
thoughts." 

"  Soon  said  of  thistle-down,"  was  her  father's 
retort ;  "  but  I'll  blow  you  back  a  feather.  You 
were  going  to  reconstruct  the  girls,  you  said  ; 
well,  that  wouldn't  be  so  bad  for  some  of  them." 


AMBO.  37 

"  Meaning  me,  of  course,"  Laura  returned, 
composedly.  "  I  know  you  don't  really  think  it, 
papa  ;  so  I  don't  mind.  What  I  wanted  to  tell 
you  was  this  :  that  we're  going  to  make  honorary 
members  of  our  brothers,  and  so  we  want  to  give 
the  society  a  name  ;  something  nice  and  descrip- 
tive, and  we'd  like  it  to  be  in  Latin.  But  /can't 
think  of  anything  that  will  suit." 

"  Why  don't  you  apply  to  your  honorary  mem- 
bers ?  Here's  a  Latin  scholar  that  ought  to  do 
something  for  you." 

"  Not  he,"  Sydney  responded,  promptly.  "  lie's 
had  his  lesson  beforehand." 

"  Deserved  it,  too.  Only  think  of  his  impu- 
dence, mamma,  to  give  me  Goosy  Gander  Club 
for  a  name !  Didn't  he  deserve  to  be  pun- 
ished?" 

"  He  got  his  due,  I  fancy,  and  a  little  over," 
Mrs.  Guilford  replied,  "  if  that  was  the  causa 
belli  for  all  the  uproar  I  heard." 

"  Hear  mamma  quoting  Latin  !  "  cried  Syd- 
ney. "  She  is  the  one  to  go  to,  after  all,  Laura." 

But  mamma  declined  the  honor,  and  the  doc- 
tor was  appealed  to  again,  but  not  with  any 
s-itisfactory  results.  Laui'a  was  too  fastidious 
to  accept  any  of  the  hackneyed  Latin  phrases 


38         A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

which  he  teasingly  offered.  She  rejected  Semper 
Idem  as  absurd. 

"  That's  the  very  thing  we  are  not,  papa," 
she  exclaimed,  indignantly.  "Always  the  same, 
when  we  are  just  going  to  be  something  differ- 
ent !  How  Tvoiild  that  look  ?  " 

•"  Cui  Bono  "  was  offered  next ;  but  that  was, 
of  course,  insulting  ;  '•'•Nil  Despcrandum  "  was 
no  better;  and,  on  the  other  hand,  "Summum 
JBonum  "  was  too  assuming. 

"  Besides,  I  could  have  found  all  that  in  the 
Scholar's  Companion,"  she  said,  disdainfully. 
"  I  want  something  original,  and  not  as  old  as 
the  hills." 

"  And  therefore  she  goes  to  the  dead  lan- 
guages," Sydney  interposed,  in  a  "  stage  aside." 

"  I  don't  know  what  to  do  for  you,"  said  the 
doctor,  in  a  resigned  tone  of  voice,  "  unless 
you'd  like  Felix  Familia.  It  strikes  me  that 
it's  going  to  be  a  kind  of  Barnum's  happy  family 
business." 

"  No,  papa  ;  fclis  et  cants  is  better,"  Sydney 
put  in  slyly.  "  You  know  what  that  is,  Laura?  " 

"  Felis  sedit  by  a  hole, 

Intent!  she  cum  omni  soul 
Pendere  rats, 


AMBO.  39 

Mice  cucurrant  over  the  floor 
In  number  duo,  tres,  or  more, 
Obliti  cats  —  " 

repeated  the  doctor,  ridiculously ;  and  Laura 
gave  it  up  in  despair,  and  was  obliged  to  laugh 
in  spite  of  herself. 

"  It's  lucky  you're  on  the  other  side  of  the 
table,"  she  flung  across  to  Sydney,  "  else  we'd 
have  cats  and  dogs  for  tea.  Only  please  to  wait, 
though,  till  I've  finished  my  strawberries." 

"  Only  please  to  excuse  me,"  he  retorted ; 
"  I've  finished  mine,  and  with  your  permission, 
mamma,  I'll  run  down  to  the  post-office.  The 
mail  train's  up." 

And  hardly  waiting  for  her  nod  of  assent,  he 
pushed  his  chair  back,  and  took  a  flying  leap 
through  the  low,  open  window,  out  upon  the 
grass-plot  beneath. 

"  I  expect  that  boy  will  break  his  neck  some 
day,"  observed  the  doctor,  calmly. 

"  I  expect  he  will  break  my  English  wood- 
bine," said  Mrs.  Guilford,  getting  up  to  put  back 
in  their  place  the  long  branches  that  had  been 
shaken  loose  by  l.is  leap.  "  I  never  could  un- 
derstand anybody's  preference  for  going  through 
a  winJow,  when  a  duar  io  so  much  more  handy." 


40         A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

"  It  is  because  the  window  is  so  much  more 
7<?£--gy,"  suggested  the  doctor ;  and  with  the 
laugh  that  followed  this,  the  tea-table  was  de- 
serted. 

Laura  went  to  look  for  Sydney's  Latin  lexicon, 
and  bringing  it  out  upon  the  piazza-,  where  her 
father  had  taken  Archie  for  a  swing  in  the  ham- 
mock, she  declared  her  intention  to  find  a  name 
for  herself,  independent  of  anybody's  assistance. 
The  doctor  said  he  admired  her  spirit,  and 
waited  with  an  amused  look  to  see  what  she 
would  achieve.  For  ten  minutes  her  head  was 
bent  over  the  closely -printed  pages  with  a  most 
resolute  air ;  then  she  closed  the  book,  and  an- 
nounced, gravely,  that  she  had  "  suited  herself," 
as  the  Irish  "  girls  "  say. 

"  Well  ?  "  said  the  doctor,  interrogatively. 

"  Well,"  repeated  Laura,  assertively,  "  of 
course  you'll  laugh,  papa  ;  you've  laughed  at  me 
all  along,  but  I  don't  care." 

"  Laura !  "  her  mother  gave  her  a  glance  of 
gentle  reproof.  "  That's  not  quite  the  tone  to 
use  to  papa,  dear." 

"  Well,  I  do  care,  then  —  excuse  me.  But  I 
mean  that  papa  wouldn't  help  me,  and  so  I'm 
going  to  stick  to  my  choice,  any  way.  If  s  just 


AMBO.  41 

Ambo,  both.  That's  short  and  simple  ;  and  Una 
Voce  for  a  motto,  mamma,  in  remembrance  of 
your  advice." 

Tho  doctor  smiled  ;  but  he  only  said,  "  You 
might  have  done  worse,  Laura." 

The  ridicule  came  from  Sydney,  who  shouted 
with  d  jrision  when  he  heard  it.  "  Why  don't 
yoir  say  Sambo,  and  done  with  it?  Then  you 
might  send  the  fair  money  to  the  freedmen's 
bureau." 

And  he  teased  her  all  the  evening  with  singing 
absurd  parodies  upon  "  Champagne  Charlie." 

"  Ambo-Sambo  is  my  name,  Sambo-Ambo  is  my  name ; 
O,  won't  the  honorary  fellows  rejoice,   with  Sambo- 
Ambo  for  a  name !  " 


42         A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 


-     CHAPTER    III. 

THE    STAR-BABY. 

TN  spite  of  this,  Laura's  ipse  dixit  prevailed, 
and  the  name  was  unanimously  adopted  by 
the  society,  of  which  she  was,  in  fact,  the  princi- 
•pal  personage. 

She  had  a  fair  share  of  her  mother's  benevo- 
lent disposition,  and  by  force  of  instinct,  as  well 
as  example,  took  pleasure  in  active  charities. 
She  liked  to  go  with  her  mother  to  look  after 
poor  people,  and  had  often  given  up  her  hour  of 
amusement,  or  pleasant  reading,  to  help  in  the 
making  or  mending  of  garments  intended  for 
them.  She  also  had  a  way  of  excusing  herself" 
for  rough  usage  of  her  own  dresses  on  charitable 
grounds.  "  The  sooner  I  spoil  them,  the  sooner 
they'll  go  to  Janie  Russell,  you  know,  or  some- 
body else  that  needs  them  badly." 

Which  was  logical,  but  not  commendable,  or 
approved  by  her  mother,  who  argued  that  neat- 


THE    STAR-BABY.  43 

ness  and  carefulness  in  personal  matters  were 
essential  elements  of  ladyhood;  moreover,  that 
the  end  should  never  be  relied  upon  to  justify 
the  means. 

There  was  a  straggling  settlement  in  the  out-- 
skirts  of  Englewood  which  went  by  the  name 
of  Bobtown ;  Dr.  Guilford  said  that  .Bob-/<z// 
would  have  been  more  descriptive,  and  there  was 
certainly  no  lack  of  "  rag,  tag."  He  had  plenty 
of  patients  there,  however,  and  attended  them  as 
kindly  and  faithfully  as  if  any  good  thing  had 
ever  come  out  of  Bobtown  —  in  the  shape  of  a 
fee.  None  ever  had,  in  his  experience  ;  but  the 
doctor's  gig  was  seen  there  most  days  in  the 
week,  now  at  one  poor  shanty  and  then  at  anoth- 
er. And  the  doctor's  wife  followed  up  his  med- 
icines, in  many  places,  with  broth  and  gruel, 
and  baby  clothes,  that  were  equally  gratuitous. 

Laura  was  coming  home  one  day,  —  a  year 
ago,  —  after  a  long  holiday  ramble  with  her 
"  particular  friend,"  Susie  Francr.  They  had 
been  as  far  as  Croton  woods,  and  had  their  hands 
full  of  ferns,  and  wild  honeysuckle,  and  hepatica, 
gathered  beside  the  brook  that  Elsie  Raymond 
had  christened  "  Laughing  Water."  They  had 
to  come  through  Bobtown  to  £et  into  the  village 


44         A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

again,  and  became,  of  course,  the  "  centre  of  ob- 
servation "  to  the  little  rag-tags  who  paddled 
about  Bobtown  at  all  hours  promiscuously. 

Half  a  dozen  of  them,  with  bare  legs  and  bon- 
netless  heads,  gathered  around  the  young  ladies, 
with  a  sociable  impulse. 

"  Gimme  a  flower,  missis,"  said  one,  that  was 
lugging  a  baby  half  as  big  as  herself.  "  I  know 
who  you  are  —  you're  the  doctor's  girl." 

"  And  I  know  who  you  are,"  retorted  Laura. 
"  You're  Katie  Flinn,  that  dropped  her  little 
brother  into  the  duck  pond  the  other  day.  What 
should  I  give  you  a  flower  for?"  But  she  put 
a  bunch  of  pink  honeysuckle  into  the  little  brown 
paw  all  the  same,  and  Katie  giggled  her  thanks. 

"  I  didn't  hurt  the  baby  ;  I  jist  ducked  him  the 
laste  bit ;  but  that  girl,"  pointing  to  a  red-headed 
comrade,  "  she  beats  her  little  brother  awful  bad, 
an'  pinches  him.  Don't  she,  Biddy?  " 

"  No,  I  don't,  no  such  thing !  "  protested  '  that 
girl,'  indignantly.  "  Don't  you  belave  her,  mis- 
sis. Katie  Flinn  tells  the'  biggest  lies  ;  and  here's 
Biddy  O'Brine  can  prove  it.  Now,  can't  ye, 
Biddy?" 

But  Biddy  declined  to  testify  for  either  side. 
She  giggled,  and  stuck  her  fingers  in  her  mouth, 


THE    STAR-BABY.  45 

leaving  one  to  infer,  what  was  very  nearly  the 
truth,  that  there  was  not  much  to  be  said  to  the 
credit  of  either. 

"  I  expect  you're  both  of  you  just  as  bad  as 
you  can  be,"  said  Laura,  laughing  with  her  eyes, 
though  she  tried  to  be  very  severe.  "  If  you 
tell  lies,  Katie  Flinn,  you'll  never  go  to  heaven. 
And  if  you  —  what's  your  name?"  to  the  red- 
headed girl. 

"  Maggie  M'Carty,"  in  chorus  from  them  all. 

"  Well,  if  you  pinch  your  little  brother,  Mag- 
gie M'Carty,  I'll  tell  the  doctor  of  you,  now ; 
and  he  won't  come  to  see  you  when  you  get 
sick." 

Maggie  showed  her  white  teeth  in  a  saucy 
laugh.  "  I  ain't  goin'  to  get  sick,  no  time,"  was 
her  confident  answer.  "  I  know  somebody  that 
wants  the  doctor,  though." 

"  Who  is  it?  "  asked  Laura. 

"  It's  a  woman  over  yonder,  in  that  house," 
pointing  to  one  of  the  shabbiest  of  the  shanties. 
"  My  mother  took  her  somethin'  to  eat  this  morn- 
in',  'cause  she  didn't  have  nothin',  an'  she  says 
she's  rale  sick,  too." 

"  What's  the  matter  with  her?  " 


40          A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

"  /  do'  know,"  said  Maggie  ;  but  Katie  Flinn 
put  in  glibly,  — 

"  It's  chills  she's  got ;  shakin'  ager.  My  mother 
said  so.  An'  my  mother  says  she  don't  do  noth- 
in' but  cry  all  the  time." 

Laura  gave  Susie  a  look  of  quick  interest. 
"What  does  she  cry  for?"  she  asked.  "Just 
because  she's  sick?  " 

"  'Cause  she  hain't  got  nobody  to  do  nothin' 
for  her,"  answered  Katie. 

"  An'  she  ain't  got  nothin'  to  eat,"  added 
Maggie. 

"  I'll  go  and  see  her  this  very  minute,"  said 
Laura,  promptly.  •  "  Susie,  are  you  afraid?  Will 
your  mother  mind,  do  you  think?  Chills  aren't 
catching,  you  know." 

"  I  guess  not,"  said  Susie.  "  I'll  risk  it,  any 
way." 

"  Come  on,  then,"  said  Laura,  full  of  eager- 
ness. "  If  it's  true  what  these  little  monkeys 
say,  somebody  ought  to  see  to  her,  you  know. 
I  wonder  if  papa  has  heard  anything  about 
her?" 

"  My  mother  said  she  was  goin'  to  speak  to 
the  doctor,  next  time  she  saw  him,"  put  in  Biddy 
O'Brine,  finding  her  tongue  at  last. 


THE    STAR-BABY.  47 

"  Then  papa  doesn't  know,"  was  Laura's  con- 
clusion ;  and,  without  more  ado,  she  hurried  on 
to  the  house  indicated,  the  whole  body-guard  of 
little  paddies  following  close  at  her  heels.  The 
door  opened  as  they  reached  the  place,  and  a 
woman  came  out  that  was  instantly  greeted  with 
a  yell  from  Katie  Flinn's  big  baby. 

"Mahmy!  mahmy !  maJimyl"  stretching  out 
his  fat  arms  to  be  taken  by  his  mother.  She 
snatched  him  up  for  a  minute,  and  then  tumbled 
him  back  to  Katie  indifferently,  while  she  turned 
to  Laura. 

"  Sure,  miss,  an'  is  it  the  doctor's  young  lady? 
I  was  wishin'  this  blessid  minnit  I  cud  lay  eyes 
on  the  face  uv  him,  for  the  poor  crather's  sake 
that's  a  groanin'  in  it." 

"Is  she  very  sick?"  asked  Laura.  "That's 
what  we  came  for  —  to  see  her." 

"  The  Lord  bless  the  purty  faces  av  yez ! 
Come  in  it,  thin,  and  give  her  a  frindly  word,  for 
shure's  it's  hersilf  that  wants  it  bad.  Katie  Flinn, 
go  right  along  home,  an'  don't  be  afther  droppin' 
that  baby.  Biddy  O'Brine,  your  mother's  waitin' 
for  you,  wicl  a  big  stick  forninst  the  fince.  Be 
aff  wid  yez  all !  " 

They   scattered,   reluctantly,   before   her    out- 


48    A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

stretched  arms,  the  Flinn  baby  bawling  lustily 
for  his  "  mahmy,"  and  Biddy  O'Brine  looking 
rather  dejected  at  the  cheerful  prospect  awaiting 
her  "  forninst  the  fince."  Laura  and  Susie  went 
inside,  and  saw  there,  upon  her  forlorn-looking 
bed,  the  poor  creature  that  lay  so  helpless  and  un- 
cared-for. Her  face  was  hot  with  fever,  and  she 
moaned  with  pain  as  she  tried  to  push  away  the 
tangled  hair  from  about  it.  Her  clothing,  and 
that  of  the  bed,  with  the  few  bits  of  furniture 
in  the  room,  were  all  of  the  most  poverty-stricken 
appearance  ;  and  the  desolate  misery  pictured  in 
her  face  filled  the  tender  hearts  of  the  two  little 
girls  with  the  keenest  pity. 

"  Hasn't  she  any  friends  at  all  ?  "  Susie  Franer 
asked.  "  Where  did  she  come  from  ?  what's  her 
name  ? "  And  Laura  asked,  half  indignantly, 
"  Why  didn't  somebody  tell  my  father  about 
her?" 

"  Faith,  an'  it's  me  that  mint  to  spake  to 
him,"  Mrs.  Flinn  said.  "  But  Katie  was  jist 
afther  makin'  a  drownded  kitten  uv  Johnny, 
an'  all  my  sinses  forsuk  me  complately.  An' 
that  was  the  last  time  I  laid  eyes  on  the  doctor, 
God  bless  him  for  a  rale  gintlcman  as  he  is,  an' 
a  kind  frind  to  Bobtown." 


THE    STAR-BABY.  49 

"What's  her  name?"  asked  Susie  again, 
breaking  into  Mrs.  Flinn's  voluble  speech. 

"  Is  it  her  name  ye  said  ?  Faith,  an'  it's  a 
quare  soundin'  name  she's  got,  thin.  She  called 
hersilf  Gritchin  Shiffin  something  Me  tongue 
can't  ketch  it  at  all,  at  all." 

"  Gretchen  ScheifTendecker,"  moaned  the  sick 
woman  from  her  bed,  and  Mrs.  Flinn  rat- 
tled on. 

"  O,  yis,  and  that  same  it  is.  It  comes  asy  to 
her,  but  me  tongue  ain't  used  to  the  likes  of  it,  ye 
see,  miss.  It's  outlandish,  but  she's  a  dacent 
body,  the  poor  crather,  an'  a  stiddy,  hard  worker 
till  her  trouble  tuk  her.  As  I  told  me  husband, 
'  Pat,'  sez  I,  '  she  works  aquil  to  a  horse,'  sez  I,  an' 
'  Biddy,'  sez  he,  '  what  a  blessin'  it  ud  be  if  she'd 
tache  yersilf  the  thrick  of  it ! '  But  that  was  jist 
for  the  sake  of  tazin',  as  I  told  him.  '  Pat,'  sez  I, 
'  you've  no  raysin'  to  complain,'  sez  I.  '  Nor  I 
don't,'  sez  he,  '  for  I  wouldn't  be  so  onfeelin'  as  to 
tache  an'  old  dog  new  thricks,'  sez  he." 

Laura  and  Susie  exchanged  glances  as  the 
flow  of  words  streamed  on.  "  Did  you  ever  hear 
such  a  tongue  ? "  said  Susie's  eyes.  "  No,  I  never 
did  !  "  answered  Laura's.  And  they  began  to 
despair  of  ever  getting  any  real  information  about 

4 


5O         A  \VROXG*CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

the  sick  woman.  Mrs.  Flinn  dearly  loved  the 
music  of  her  own  voice,  and  this  was  such  an 
opportunity  that  she  could  not  refrain  from  im- 
proving it.  However,  it  came  out  by  and  by,  in 
connection  with  a  good  many  "  Pat,  sez  I's,"  and 
"Biddy,  sez  he's,"  that  the  Scheiffendecker  woman 
had  "  tramped "  there,  with  her  husband,  in 
search  of  work,  about  six  months  before.  The 
man  had  got  something  to  do  at  the  aqueduct, 
and  the  woman  had  worked  anywhere,  and  at 
anything  she  could  find  to  do :  washing  and  iron- 
ing,, house  cleaning,  digging  in  the  fields,  hay 
making  —  she  never  reftised  anything.  And  so 
for  a  while  they  had  got  on  comfortably,  until  all 
at  once  the  man  took  to  drinking,  went  on  a 
spree,  lost  his  place,  and  finally  cleared  off 
altogether  one  day,  leaving  his  wife  to  shift  for 
herself. 

"  He  made  a  pretinse  of  goin'  to  New  York 
to  find  work,"  said  Mrs.  Flinn,  "  an'  he  chated 
the  poor  thing  into  belavin'  that  he'd  come  back 
to  fetch  her.  But  he's  niver  come,  nor  niver  mint 
to,  as  I  said  to  Pat.  '  Pat,'  sez  I,  — 

"  Well,"  interrupted  Laura,  hastily,  dreading 
another  avalanche  of  Pat,  "  I  shall  go  right  home, 
and  tell  papa ;  and  he'll  come  and  see  her  to- 


THE    STAR-BABY.  5! 

morrow,  and  mamma,  too.  She  shan't  be  left 
to  suffer." 

"  The  blessin's  of  the  Lord  upon  you  !  "  Mrs. 
Flinn  exclaimed,  piously.  "  It  was  only  yister- 
day  I  was  sayin'  to  Pat,  'Pat,'  sez  I — " 

"Good  by,  Mrs.  Scheiffendecker,"  said  Laura, 
unceremoniously.  "You  keep  a  good  heart  now, 
and  don't  fret.  When  you  see  my  mother  to- 
morrow, you'll  feel  better  right  away.  And  my 
father's  a  doctor,  too  ;  he'll  have  you  all  right 
again  in  no  time." 

She  laid  her  little  plump,  cool  hand  on  Mrs. 
Scheiflendecker's  hard  and  homely  one,  all  hot 
with  fever.  It  was  clasped  in  a  convulsive  sort 
of  way,  and  drawn  up  to  the  poor  parched  lips. 
"  Such  a  kiss  !  "  Laura  said  afterwards.  "  It 
fairly  burned  my  hand."  But  she  understood  the 
poor  creature's  grateful  impulse,  and  it  filled  her 
heart  with  active  pity. 

"  I  want  to  do  something  for  that  woman,"  she 
said  to  Susie,  as  they  hurried  home  together, 
walking  fast  to  overtake  the  sunset.  "  I  don't 
know  what  I  can  do,  I'm  sure  ;  but  I  feel  to  want 
it,  as  old  Miss  Hetty  says." 

"I  should  like  to  do  something  for  Mrs.  Flinn," 
said  Susie,  comically.  "  Your  father  isn't  the 


52          A  WRONG  CONFESSED   IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

sort  of  doctor  that  cuts  off  people's  legs  and 
arms,  and  things  —  is  he?  " 

"  No,  indeed  ;  what  do  you  mean  ?  "  asked 
Laura,  looking  surprised. 

"  If  he  could  only  persuade  Mrs.  Flinn  to 
let  him  take  an  inch  or  two  off  her  tongue !  " 
said  Susie. 

"  What  a  goose  !  "  Laura  exclaimed.  And  so 
they  both  went  home  in  a  merry  mood,  in  spite 
of  the  poor  Scheifiendecker. 

But  her  case  was  duly  presented  to  the  powers 
at  home ;  and  when  the  doctor  started  on  his 
rounds  the  next  morning,  Mrs.  Guilford  went 
with  him  ;  and  a  nice  little  basket  of  nourishing 
food,  and  other  sick-room  necessities,  went  with 
her.  When  Laura  came  home  from  school,  she 
found  her  mother  in  the  nursery,  busily  stitching 
up  a  very  small  night-gown.  Three  or  four  little 
white  rolls,  that  looked  as  if  they  might  be  more 
night-gowns,  cut  out  for  making,  lay  in  her  work- 
basket,  with  some  breadths  of  old  flannel,  ripped 
out  of  a  petticoat  that  Laura  had  used  up.  She 
looked  at  them  curiously. 

u  Are  you  making  night-gowns  for  Pinkie 
Bluebell,  mamma?"  she  asked  in  all  seriousness; 
the  garments  bearing  more  proportion  to  the  size 


THE    STAR-BABY.  53 

of  Flossy's  big  doll  than  to  the  dimensions  of 
baby  Archie. 

"  My  dear,  they  are  for  a  live  doll,"  was 
Mrs.  Guilford's  answer.  u  Your  friend,  Gretchen 
Scheiffendecker,  has  a  little  daughter." 

"  Why,  I  didn't  see  it,"  exclaimed  Laura,  sur- 
prised. "And  I  asked  Mrs.  Flinn  if  she  had  any 
children,  too." 

"  What  did  Mrs.  Flinn  say?  " 

"  O,  what  didn't  she  say?"  cried  Laura, 
laughing.  "  Such  a  gabble  of  '  Pat,  sez  I,'  and 
'  Biddy,  sez  he  ! '  But  I  understood  her  that  there 
weren't  any  children  at  all." 

u  I  found  one  this  morning,  at  all  events," 
said  Mrs.  Guilford,  smiling.  "  It  was  a  little 
star-baby,  I  suppose,  that  came  down  in  the  night 
on  a  bridge  of  moonbeams.  And  being  mild 
weather  up  there,  the  grown-up  stars  didn't  think 
it  necessary  to  send  any  clothes  with  it.  But 
clown  here,  you  know,  the  wind  changes.  So 
I've  been  cutting  up  some  of  your  old  night- 
gowns and  petticoats  for  present  needs.  Would 
you  like  to  help  me  make  them?  " 

"  Mamma,"  said  Laura,  solemnly,  taking  up 
one  of  the  little  white  rolls,  and  spreading  out 
the  pieces  before  her,  "  I  fully  believe  all  that  is 


54         A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED.    ' 

nonsense.  In  the  first  place,  there  wasn't  any 
moon  at  all  last  night." 

"  O,"  Mrs.  Guilford  exclaimed,  with  the  most 
candid  air,  "  I  forgot  that.  Well,  perhaps  the 
stars  linked  themselves  into  a  golden  chain  to  let 
her  down." 

"In  the  next  place,"  pursued  Laura,  scornfully 
indifferent  to  this  hypothesis,  "  there  never  was  a 
star-baby.  Any  way,  they  wouldn't  be  such  little 
geese  as  to  come  down  from  a  beautiful  blue  sky 
to  live  in  Bobtown." 

"  Ah,  but  poor  Mrs.  ScheifFendecker,"  remon- 
strated her  mother,  "  why  shouldn't  she  have 
the  comfort  of  a  dear  little  baby,  if  she  does  live 
in  Bobtown  ?  " 

There  was  no  answering  this  argument ;  so 
Laura  brought  her  work-box,  and  sat  down  to 
help  her  mother  make  the  night-gowns.  The 
case  was  urgent,  for  the  poor  little  "  star-baby  " 
had  found  its  way  to  a  desolate  and  destitute 
home.  There  were  none  of  the  soft  embroklcre  1 
flannels,  the  dainty  tucked  slips,  the  bewitching 
little  socks,  and  ruffled  shirts,  that  await  the 
coming  of  most  babies,  prepared  for  the  small 
ScheifFendecker.  It  lay,  just  now,  cuddled  up  in 
an  old  quilt  that  belonged  to  Mrs.  Flinn,  and  had 


THE    STAR-BABY.  55 

a  wrinkled-tip  and  disconsolate  look,  as  if  it  didn't 
think  much  of  its  new  quarters.  That's  a  look 
I've  observed,  however,  in  other  star-babies,  even 
when  they  were  wrapped  in  white  cashmere  and 
swan's  down,  and  lay  in  a  blue  satin  bassinette. 
So,  perhaps,  it  doesn't  mean  anything  par- 
ticular. 

Laura's  tongue  kept  pace  with  her  needle,  and 
at  least  as  many  words  as  stitches  went  to  the 
making-up  of  her  night-gown.  They  were  not 
altogether  idle  words,  either ;  for  out  of  some 
of  them  grew,  as  the  oak  in  the  acorn,  the 
sewing  society,  which  was  now  widened  into 
"  Ambo." 

"  I'll  tell  you  what,  mamma,"  was  the  begin- 
ning, "  Susie  Franer  and  I  ought  to  be  doing  this 
work,  not  you.  We  found  that  Gretchen,  you 
know." 

"  You  are  doing  your  share,"  said  Mrs. 
Guilford. 

"  Susie  would  be  willing  to  help,  too,  I  know. 
Suppose  you  give  it  all  up  to  us,  you  have  so 
many  other  things  to  attend  to,  always." 

"  But  the  baby  is  njtked,  meanwhile,  and  you 
and  Susie  are  at  school,  with  lessons,  arid  prac- 
tice-hours to  consider.  I'm  afraid  the  child 


56          A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

would  suffer,  with  the  best  intentions  on  your 
part." 

"  No,  we  could  have  a  bee,".  Laura  persisted. 
"  I  know  two  or  three  girls  that  would  help,  be- 
sides Susie.  And,  let's  see  —  to-morrow's  Fri- 
day, next  day's  Saturday.  I  could  ask  Lizzie 
Walker,  and  Elsie,  and  Alice  to  come  here  Sat- 
urday afternoon  ;  Gertie  Fisher,  too,  and  Georgie 
White,  I  guess  they'd  all  come.  And  just  think, 
what  a  lot  of  sewing — easy  sewing  like  this  — 
we  could  do  amongst  us  !  " 

Mrs.  Guilford  pondered  the  matter.  To  have 
Laura's  bee  implied  the  trouble  for  herself  of  a 
tea-party  for  the  flock,  and  the  preparation  and 
general  direction  of  all  the  work.  It  would  really 
be  easier  to  make  the  baby-clothes  herself,  with 
such  assistance  as  Laura  was  inclined  to  render. 
On  the  other  hand,  there  was  something  in  the 
fact  of  association  for  a  good  purpose  ;  it  might 
be  made  beneficial  in  various  ways,  and  lead  to 
more  results  than  one. 

So  it  ended  in  Laura's  having  permission  to 
ask  the  girls,  who  all  gave  a  willing  consent ;  and 
there  was  a  merry,  busy  afternoon  at  the  brown 
cottage,  with  the  jolliest  little  tea-party  imagina- 
ble to  wind  it  up.  Two  night-gowns,  two  flan- 


THE    STAR-BABY.  57 

nel  pinners,  two  slips,  and  a  sacque,  were  put 
together,  with  the  aid  of  much  advice  and  "  fixing" 
from  Mrs.  Guilford.  To  say  that  they  were  not 
puckered  and  cobbled  considerably,  or  that  the 
stitches  were  not  distinctly  visible  to  the  naked 
eye,  —  at  almost  any  distance,  —  would  be  an 
evasion  of  the  truth  of  which  I  decline  to  be 
guilty.  But  the  Gretchen  woman,  as  Flossy 
called  her,  was  no  judge  of  needle-work,  and 
what  did  the  star-baby  care  about  it? 

The  sewing  bee  led  to  results,  helped  along  a 
little  by  Mrs.  Guilford.  The  garments  that  they 
had  made  were  of  course  not  enough,  except  for 
immediate  use,  and  Laura  said  it  was  a  pity  to 
stop,  when  they  had  begun  so  well,  until  they 
had  given  the  child  a  wardrobe.  So  they  prom- 
ised to  come  another  Saturday  afternoon  ;  and  at 
Elsie  Raymond's  suggestion,  they  each  brought 
a  donation,  in  the  shape  of  some  cast-off  gar- 
ment of  their  own.  Elsie  —  always  thoughtful 
—  brought  hers  ready  pi'eparecl  for  sewing; 
Alice  brought  half  a  dozen  articles,  all  too  good 
to  cut  up  for  such  uses  ;  the  other  contributions 
were  more  or  less  serviceable,  but  all  in  the 
rough  ;  and  Mrs.  Guilford  had  to  plan,  cut  out, 
and  arrange  for  everybody. 


5'S         A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

But  the  girls  enjoyed  the  work,  and  the  sense 
of  doing  good  by  it ;  and  it  was  pleasant  to  be 
all  together,  laughing  and  chattering  like  so  many 
wrens  while  they  sewed,  to  say  nothing  of  the 
festive  time  they  were  sure  to  have  at  tea,  with 
such  appetites  for  the  dainty  biscuit,  and  cake, 
and  fruit,  such  a  cheerful,  merry  welcome  from 
the  doctor,  and  Mrs.  Guilford  always  so  bright 
and  cordial. 

Nobody  objected  to  coming  a  third  Saturday, 
to  finish  up  things,  and  by  that  time  Laura's  busy 
little  brain  had  conceived  the  idea  of  turning  her 
sewing  bees  into  a  regular  association.  She  con- 
sulted writh  her  mother,  who  approved  the  idea, 
and  suggested  practical  methods  of  carrying  it 
out.  So  on  the  third  meeting  the  new  society 
was  organized  by  unanimous  consent,  and  a  plan 
and  by-laws  drawn  up  with  the  utmost  formality. 

Laura  was  chosen  president,  Susie  vice-presi- 
dent, Elsie  secretary,  and  Gertie  treasurer.  The 
rest  were  to  make  themselves  useful  according  to 
opportunity,  and  they  were  all  to  be  a  committee 
of  supplies,  for  enlisting  new  members,  and  col- 
lecting contributions.  The}'  were  to  meet  once  a 
week,  at  each  other's  houses,  taking  it  in  regular 
turn ;  and  their  work,  at  first,  was  to  be  the  alter- 


THE    STAR-BABY.  59 

ing  and  making  over  of  second-hand  clothes,  to 
be  given  away  wherever  it  was  agreed  by  the 
society.  Afterwards,  when  they  had  improved  a 
little,  they  were  to  take  in  sewing,  after  the  fash- 
ion of  older  societies,  and  earn  money,  which 
they  would  dispense  in  charity,  according  to  gen- 
eral consent.  Fines  for  non-attendance  not  to 
exceed  five  cents ;  fines  for  unladylike  behavior, 
bad  grammar,  and  the  vise  of  slang  words,  one 
penny.  Contributions  from  the  members  unso- 
licited, and  entirely  optional ;  smallest  favors 
thankfully  received  from  the  public  at  large ! 

They  had  a  merry  time  getting  up  "  their  con- 
stitution," and  Mrs.  Guilford  entered  into  all  the 
fun  with  them,  at  the  same  time  that  she  made 
them  feel  they  were  undertaking  something  of 
importance.  It  was  not  sure  to  be  always  an 
amusement ;  it  would  sometimes  be  a  hindcrance 
to  other  pleasures,  and,  when  the  novelty  was. 
over,  it  would  very  likely  be  felt  occasionally  as 
a  task  and  a  weariness,  she  told  them.  They 
must  understand  in  the  beginning  all  the  respon- 
sibilities, and  make  up  their  minds  fully  to  accept 
all  the  consequences  ;  else  it  would  be  better  not 
to  undertake  the  thing  at  all.  She  said  they 
might,  if  they  chose,  make  their  meeting  together 


60         A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

for  this  purpose  a  real  benefit  —  to  themselves 
as  well  as  to  the  poor  people  they  meant  to  help. 
And  when  Gertie  Fisher  —  who  had  an  inquiring 
mind,  and  always  wanted  to  know  the  practical 
how  and  why  of  everything  —  asked  what  she 
meant,  she  gave  them  a  nice  little  lecture  on 
mutual  improvement,  which  I  shan't  spoil  by 
trying  to  repeat.  The  argument  of  her  discourse 
was  the  opportunity  afforded  for  gain  in  self- 
control,  and  mutual  courtesies  and  consideration, 
since  they  were  subject  to  no  authority  but  their 
own.  She  touched  upon  the  comprehensive 
meaning  of  the  word  charity,  which  they  pro- 
posed to  exemplify.  It  was  to  make  garments 
for  the  poor,  and  it  was  also  to  think  no  evil  of 
one  another,  to  suffer  long  and  be  kind,  not  to 
vaunt  itself  and  be  puffed  up,  or  easily  provoked, 
and  so  on,  and  so  on. 

It  was  a  shrewd  little  lecture,  adapted  to  the 
idiosyncrasies  of  her  audience.  She  knew  Laura's 
love  of  managing  and  directing  things,  Alice's 
quick  temper,  Susie's  disposition  to  be  jealous, 
and  Georgie's  positive  way  of  expressing  opinion. 
Lizzie  and  Gertie  had  their  own  little  crotchets, 
too,  which  Mrs.  Guilford's  watchful  eyes  had 
taken  note  of;  and  so  they  all  —  even  to  Elsie 


THE    STAR-BABY.  6 1 

herself,  though  the  lecture  was  never  meant  for 
her  —  found  a  cap  to  fit,  and  put  it  on  grace- 
fully. Nobody  was  ever  vexed  with  Mrs.  Guil- 
ford's  plain  speaking ;  her  look  and  smile  said 
always,  so  irresistibly,  "  It  is  because  I  love  you, 
my  dear !  " 


6a      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  JS  HALF  REDRESSED. 


CHAPTER  IV. 
VIOLET'S  HANDKERCHIEF. 

THE  little  society  flourished  apace  from  this 
beginning.  The  original  seven  doubled 
and  trebled  itself  in  a  short  time,  and  they  were 
the  best  girls  of  the  village  and  the  neighbor- 
hood who  swelled  its  ranks.  Carrie  Haven  and 
Lucy  Holbrook,  May  Barnard  and  Jennie  Cobb, 
were  among  the  first  recruits ;  Annie  Joline,  and 
Nellie  Bacon,  and  Fannie  Doorman  followed  soon 
after ;  and  Gussie  Pike  would  have  accepted  the 
very  slightest  invitation  to  become  a  member. 
But  nobody  gave  her  one,  as  it  happened,  in 
spite  of  many  hints,  and  more  open  advances  as 
well.  Since  Maddie  Shaw  had  left  the  school, 
there  was  nobody  upon  whom  Gussie  could  fasten 
herself;  and  when  Elsie  Raymond,  out  of  her 
abundant  charity,  suggested  her  name  once  for  a 
new  member,  it  was  unanimously  voted  down. 
"  We  don't  want  anybody  here  to  set  us  all 


VIOLET'S  HANDKERCHIEF.  63 

by  the  ears,"  said  Laura.  And  Alice  declared, 
flatly,  that  Elsie  ought  to  be  ashamed  of  her- 
self for  thinking  of  such  a  thing. 

"  I  didn't  think  of  it  myself,"  was  Elsie's  an- 
swer ;  "  and  to  tell  the  honest  truth,  I  don't  sup- 
pose Gussie  would  help  us  much.  But  then  she 
asked  me,  and  how  could  I  refuse  ?  " 

"  Easy  enough,"  retorted  Alice.  "  Tell  her 
you'd  see  her  in  '  Ballyhang '  first." 

"  Softly,  Alice  !  "  Gertie  Fisher  held  up  a 
warning  finger.  u  You'll  get  a  fine  for  slang, 
or  something." 

"Is  that  slang?  Well,  I  thought  it  was  geog- 
raphy," said  Alice,  ridiculously.  So  they  all 
laughed,  and  Gussie  was  "  loft  out  in  the  cold  " 
—  which,  if  one  must  tell  the  truth,  was  no  more 
than  she  deserved.  For  it  was  not  any  good 
motive  that  made  her  wish  to  get  into  the  circle. 
It  was  chiefly  the  opportunity  for  gossip,  the 
chance  of  going  to  houses  where  she  was  never 
asked  otherwise,  and  a  love  of  eating,  which 
was  one  of  Gussie's  prominent  characteristics. 
She  envied  the  girls  when  she  heard  them  talk- 
ing of  the  nice  little  suppers  with  which  the 
society  meetings  were  wound  up.  Her  mouth 
watered  after  the  strawberries  and  cream,  the 


64      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

jelly-cake  and  chocolate,  the  cold  chicken  and 
muffins,  the  sweetmeats  and  custards,  which  were 
duly  provided  by  indulgent  mammas.  She  re- 
sented having  no  share  in  them,  but  she  did  not 
ask  herself,  with  any  honest  conviction,  the  rea- 
son why  "  this  was  thus."  If  she  had,  her  con- 
science might  have  answered,  — 

"  Because  you  have  never  taken  pains  to  win 
the  liking  and  respect  of  your  companions ;  be- 
cause you  have  found  your  element  in  mischief- 
making,  backbiting,  and  talebearing ;  because 
you  are  selfish,  greedy,  and  untruthful ;  because 
you  have  laughed  at  reproof,  and  despised  the 
advice  of  those  who  tried  to  influence  you  to  bet- 
ter things  ;  in  a  word,  because  you  have  chosen 
the  bad  instead  of  the  good,  and  so,  naturally, 
you  are  avoided  by  those  who  prefer  what  is 
'  lovely,  and  pure,  and  of  good  report.'  " 

It  would  have  been  "  a  verdict  in  accordance 
with  the  facts"  —  more's  the  pity!  but  it  would 
have  been  also  the  best  basis  of  reform,  if  ever 
Gussie  and  her  conscience  had  talked  together 
after  this  wise.  Unfortunately,  they  never  did, 
and  Gussie  continued  to  tread  her  little  round 
of  petty  wickedness  unabashed  and  unrepenting. 


VIOLET'S  HANDKERCHIEF.  65 

But  the  sewing  society,  at  least,  was  not  stirred 
up  by  her  "  evil  communications." 

It  had  its  little  ups  and  downs  in  other  direc- 
tions, in  spite  of  Mrs.  Guilford's  good  advice. 
Some  of  the  members  got  vexed,  and  resigned  ; 
then  got  over  it,  and  came  back  again.  Some 
were  indolent,  and  came  more  for  the  fun  than 
the  work  ;  some  were  industrious,  and  very  self- 
righteous  and  "superior"  in  consequence.  Hu- 
man nature  is  pretty  much  alike  all  the  world 
over ;  the  meeting  together  for  a  good  purpose 
does  not  keep  petty  jealousies  and  disagreements 
out  of  grown-up  societies,  and  why  should  it  do 
more  for  the  younger  branches? 

On  the  whole,  however,  there  was  a  great  deal 
more  harmony  than  discord,  all  things  consid- 
ered ;  and  the  first  annual  report  of  the  secretary 
—  written  out  in  Elsie's  most  finished  style  — 
was  a  satisfactory  evidence  that  the  society  had 
accomplished  something. 

Three  babies,  besides  the  "  star-baby "  par 
excellence,  had  been  provided  with  wardrobes 
entire ;  and  each  of  the  mothers  had  been  pre- 
sented with  two  or  three  welcome  articles  of 
clothing.  Janje  Russell  had  had  a  new  dress, 
and  two  little  Bobtovvn  waifs  had  been  induced 
5 


66      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

to  come  to  Sunday  school  by  reason  of  a  decent 
outfit  from  the  society.  Besides  all  this,  there 
had  been  quite  a  number  of  little  fancy  articles 
made  up  at  odd  times  with  reference  to  the 
inevitable  Fair,  that,  by  some  condition  of  their 
being,  always  crops  out  of  these  feminine  asso- 
ciations. 

Its  first  suggestion  had  come  from  little  Olive, 
who  had  volunteered  contributions  from  her  in- 
exhaustible treasure-box ;  and  the  idea  being 
taken  up,  one  thing  led  to  another,  until  the 
fair  grew  a  fact  in  esse,  and  the  society  began 
to  count  up  its  resources  in  good  earnest,  to 
make  it  a  brilliant  «/-fair.  It  was  Lizzie  Walk- 
er's proposition  that  they  should  call  in  their 
brothers'  help.  The  society  concluded  that  it 
might  be  a  good  thing ;  and  we  have  seen  how 
the  invitation  was  extended  to  one  of  the  "  hon- 
orary members."  The  rest  —  a  dozen  or  more 
merry  school-boys,  ready  for  fun  in  any  shape  — 
took  it  up  willingly.  There  was  a  meeting,  at 
which  all  the  members,  old  and  new,  appeared 
in  force  at  the  brown  cottage  ;  and  the  boys  were 
instructed  in  the  duties  and  services  that  were 
expected  of  them.  They  laughed  at  the  badges, 
and  shouted  over  the  Latin,  and  behaved  as  boys 


VIOI-ET'S    HANDKERCHIEF.  67 

generally  behave,  with  a  great  indifference  to  law 
and  order.  But  they  consented  —  and  that  was 
the  main  point  —  to  give  all  the  help  they  could  ; 
and  a  day  was  agreed  upon  for  the  picnic  in 
Dale  Woods  to  collect  material  for  their  rustic 
work.  Mrs.  Guilford  wound  up  the  proceedings 
by  sending  in  a  well-filled  tray  of  cake  and  lem- 
onade, and  then  the  meeting  adjourned  in  mu- 
tual satisfaction  —  to  meet  again  on  the  coming 
Saturday  and  march  in  procession  down  to  Dale 
Woods. 

The  skies  were  watched  anxiously  for  the  rest 
of  the  week,  and  the  bright  sunshine  that  streamed 
across  the  hills  Saturday  morning  was  reflected 
in  Laura's  face,  as  she  bustled  about  in  her 
picnic  preparations.  Sydney  had  been  up  be- 
times, and  gathered  a  basket  of  dewy-ripe  straw- 
berries ;  and  Laura  filled  another  with  cake  and 
buttered  biscuit  in  liberal  quantities.  By  nine 
o'clock  the  first  comers  arrived,  and  pretty  soon 
the  piazza  was  full  of  boys  and  girls  and  lunch- 
baskets,  and  the  whole  place  astir  with  a  merry 
bustle  and  confusion.  The  badges  were  all  ready 
for  the  occasion,  —  a  gay  blue  ribbon  with  a  very 
large  letter  A  embroidered  in  yellow,  —  and  these 
had  to  be  pinned  on,  with  plenty  of  luughmg 


08      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

and  nonsense  of  course.  Then  the  procession 
must  be  formed,  two  by  two,  and  the  baskets 
divided  amongst  the  boys,  with  special  charges 
about  the  manner  of  carrying  certain  delicate 
articles ;  and  at  last  they  all  marched  off  in 
merry  humor,  the  blue  badges  conspicuous,  and 
the  boys  whistling  "  Captain  Jinks "  by  way  of 
marching-music. 

"  What  have  we  got  to  do  ? "  was  the  first 
question  when  they  reached  the  woods  and 
broke  ranks  in  the  cool  shadow  of  the  rustling 
hemlocks  and  beeches. 

"  Rest  ourselves,  and  enjoy  the  beauties  of 
nature,"  said  Sydney,  promptly,  stretching  him- 
self at  length  on  a  tempting  green  bank.  "  That's 
the  first  thing  to  be  done." 

And  the  pleasant  ripple  of  the  water  close  by, 
the  cool  whispering  wind,  and  the  lovely  waver- 
ing shadows,  seemed  to  invite  them  to  take  his 
lazy  advice.  So  they  all  sat  down  for  a  while  — 
some  finding  seats  on  the  mossy  rocks  that  crop 
up  every  where  in  Dale  Woods ;  some  spreading 
themselves  on  the  dried  leaves  of  last  year's  drop- 
ping ;  some  making  spring  seats  by  bending 
down  the  slender  young  saplings.  The  girls 
were  rather  tired  with  the  long  walk  through 


VIOLET'S  HANDKERCHIEF.  69 

the  June  sunshine,  and  the  rest  and  coolness 
were  refreshing  to  even-body.  Besides,  it  was 
an  opportunity  to  settle  the  plan  of  the  day's  op- 
erations, and  decide  the  work  that  each  one 
could  do  best. 

"  Did  you  ever  see  picture-frames  made  of  oat 
straws?"  asked  Charlie  Cox.  "They  are  ever 
so  pretty  for  little  card-pictures,  —  photographs 
and  things,  —  and  I  know  how  to  make  'cm." 

"  But  oat  straws  don't  grow  in  the  woods," 
objected  his  sister  Nannie.  "  What's  the  use  of 
talking  about  them  now  ?  " 

"  0,  I  just  happened  to  think  of  them.  Other 
things  grow  in  the  woods  that  will  make  frames 
too ;  fir  cones  are  nice,  and  acorns,  and  different 
kinds  of  twigs.  I  guess  I'll  devote  myself  to  the 
fancy-frame  business.  What  do  you  say,  Mr. 
President?" 

"  Ail  right,"  answered  Laura.  "  Sydney's  go- 
ing to  make  boats,  and  I  want  somebody  to 
make  jack-straws." 

"  Frank  can  do  that,"  said  Gertie  Fisher.  "  He 
whittled  a  set  for  me  when  we  had  the  measles. 
It  was  the  only  thing  that  kept  me  alive,  watch- 
ing him." 

"•  What  a  whopper  !  "  exclaimed  Frank.    "  You 


7O      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

kept  alive  on  chicken-broth  and  jelly,  and  cross- 
ness." 

"  Nice  diet,"  laughed  Laura  ;  "  especially  the 
last." 

"  Wouldn't  anybody  be  cross  with  the  mea- 
sles?" asked  Gertie,  defiantly.  "I'd  just  like 
to  know ! " 

"  Of  course  they  would  —  anybody  that  wasn't 
a  goose.  About  the  jack-straws,  though  ;  they 
ought  to  have  fancy  heads,  you  know  —  tom- 
ahawks, and  arrows,  and  crosslets  — " 

Frank  nodded  complacently. 

"  /know,"  he  said,  with  the  air  of  being  quite 
equal  to  any  amount  of  fancy  heads. 

So  the  jack-straws  were  assigned  to  him,  and 
Harry  Walker  volunteered  to  make  nice  little 
wooden  boxes  for  them.  Tom  Franer  said  he 
could  make  paper-knives  out  of  white  pine  ;  and 
Joe  Barnard  had  decalcomania  materials,  and  of- 
fered to  decorate  boxes,  knives,  and  everything  in 
the  highest  style  of  that  high  art.  Will  Haviland 
offered  to  contribute  marble  paper-weights  ;  he 
had  a  friend  in  the  marble-works,  who  would 
give  him  the  odd  pieces  of  marble,  and  get  them 
cut  and  polished  for  a  trifling  cost.  Sam  Haven 
promised  a  set  of  hanging  book-shelves,  and 


VIOLET'S  HANDKERCHIEF.  71 

Chester  Boorman  some  corner  brackets  ;  while 
Jack  Holbrook  declared  that  he  was  like  his 
name,  a  Jack  of  all  trades,  and  didn't  mean  to 
confine  himself  to  anything  in  particular,  but  do 
wonders  in  a  general  way. 

They  spent  a  pleasant  hour  in  discussing  these 
various  matters,  and  then  they  scattered  about  the 
woods  to  collect  such  material  as  might  be  avail- 
able for  their  purposes.  The  girls  wanted  ferns, 
and  wild  flowers,  mosses,  and  lichen,  and  grasses  ; 
the  boys  wanted  wood  of  different  sorts  for  their 
whittling  affairs,  and  pebbles  and  rock  from  the 
brook  for  a  fresh  water  aquarium,  which  two  or 
three  of  them  had  ambitiously  undertaken  to 
accomplish. 

A  bushel  or  two  of  miscellaneous  matter  was 
gathered  together  in  a  short  time,  and  then  it 
had  to  be  prepared  for  transportation  ;  the  ferns 
and  leaves  pressed  between  folded  newspapers, 
the  mosses  packed  in  a  basket,  the  grasses  tied 
up  for  drying,  the  rough  branches  whittled  into 
portable  bundles.  By  the  time  this  was  done, 
everybody  agreed  that  lunch  was  the  next  thing 
to  be  considered. 

Sydney  whistled,  "  Molly,  put  the  kettle  on," 
as  he  began  to  gather  up  dry  twigs  and  leaves  to 


72         A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

make  a  fire,  and  the  girls  ran  away  to  unpack 
their  dishes.  Nobody  really  cared  about  tea ; 
but  it  was  gypsy-like  to  make  a  pretence  of  cook- 
ing something,  and  there  was  a  fireplace  ready 
made,  which  it  would  be  a  shame  not  to  use. 
This  was  a  hollow  tree,  which  had  been  burned 
out  close  to  the  ground  by  some  picnic  party  ; 
the  ashes  of  their  fire  still  remained,  and  the 
cross-piece  upon  which  they  had  suspended  their 
kettle.  A  little  tin  'pail  soon  hung  there  again, 
and  there  was  a  merry  "  crackling  of  thorns  " 
under  it  in  a  few  minutes.  The  thin,  blue  smoke 
curled  in  and  out  in  fairy-like  wreaths,  and  vivid 
little  tongues  of  flame  shot  to  and  fro,  till  they 
leaped  up  all  together  in  one  hot,  bright  blaze, 
that  soon  made  the  water  boil. 

"  Double,  double,  toil  and  trouble, 
Fire  burn,  and  caldron  bubble," 

quoted  Sydney,  with  a  melodramatic  gesture. 
"  Bring  on  your  herbs  now  ; 

'  Round  about  the  caldron  go, 
And  in  jour  — '  " 

"  Sydney,  be   still !     Aren't  you   ashamed  of 
yourself? "    Laura   interrupted    before   he   could 


VIOLET'S  HANDKERCHIEF.  73 

finish  the  line.  "  We  won't  have  any  witches' 
broth  here,  if  yoti  please." 

"  Be  still  yourself.  I  was  only  going  to  say, 
'  In  your  prime  old  Java  throw.'  What's  that  to 
be  ashamed  of?  " 

"Who  ever  heard  of  prime  old  Java  teal" 
shouted  Frank  Fisher.  "  If  I  was  going  to  make 
a  parody,  I'd  do  better  than  that,  old  fellow. 
Say,  in  your  herb  celestial  throw  —  and  here 
the  crinkly  tea  leaves  go  !  "  suiting  the  action  to 
the  word  by  emptying  the  whole  paper  of  tea, 
that  Gertie  had  just  laid  down,  into  the  boiling 
water. 

Gertie  made  a  spring  at  him.  "  O,  Frank! 
that's  no  way  to  make  tea.  It  ought  to  be  steeped, 
and  have  the  water  poured  on.  Did  anybody 
ever  see  such  a  stupid  trick?" 

"  We  honorary  fellows  are  not  wanted  here  ; 
that's  plain,"  said  Frank,  shrugging  his  shoul- 
ders. "  Come,  Syd,  let's  make  ourselves  useful 
somewhere  else." 

"  You'd  better,"  snapped  Gertie.  "  Go  and 
bring  up  the  lemonade,  and  don't  make  any  mis- 
chief with  that.  Now  mind." 

They  ran  off,  laughing,  to  obey  her.  The  lem- 
onade, made  at  home,  had  been  put  in  a  covered 


74        A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

pail,  and  intrusted  to  Frank,  who  volunteered  to 
find  a  cool  place  for  it.  Anywhere  in  the  brook 
would  have  been  cool  enough  ;.  but  he  thought  he 
was  doing  a  clever  thing  when  he  took  the  pail 
out  into  the  middle  of  the  stream,  and  wedged 
it  down  between  some  rocks,  over  which  the 
water  foamed  and  rushed  in  a  particularly  invit- 
ing manner. 

"  It's  sure  to  keep  cool  there,"  had  been  his 
complacent  thought ;  and  he  did  not  grudge  the 
wet  shoes  it  had  cost  him  to  get  out  to  the  rocks. 
No  misgiving  crossed  his  mind  as  he  went  now 
to  fetch  it  back  ;  but  his  face  grew  very  blank 
as  he  reached  the  bank  of  the  brook  opposite  the 
spot,  and  saw  no  sign  of  the  pail. 

"What's  the  matter?"  asked  Sydney  at  his 
sudden  ejaculation.  "Don't  tell  me  the  lemonade 
has  come  to  grief!  " 

"  Well,  it  has,  then,  and  nothing  shorter." 
Frank's  face  had  a  ludicrous  dismay  in  it,  as  he 
stood  staring  at  the  treacherous  rocks,  and  the 
water  whirling  and  tumbling  over  them  with  a 
rapid,  ceaseless  tumult. 

"  Did  you  put  it  out  there?"  shouted  Sydney. 
"  O,  good  gracious  !  "  And  he  burst  into  a  deri- 
sive laugh,  which,  under  the  circumstances,  was 


VIOLILT  J    HANDKERCHIEF.  75 

most  exasperating.  Frank  turned  upon  him 
angrily. 

"  Why  shouldn't  I  put  it  there?  It's  the  cool- 
est place,  and  the  safest  place  —  if  nobody  med- 
dled with  it.  You've  been  at  it,  I  do  believe  ! 
It's  just  like  you  to  play  a  trick  on  a  fellow." 

"  Upon  my  word  and  honor,  Frank,"  —  Syd- 
ney stopped  laughing,  and  spoke  with  such  sin- 
cerity that  there  was  no  doubting  him,  —  "  I've 
never  so  much  as  seen  it.  I  only  know  there's 
too  much  water  power  out  in  those  rapids. 
Most  anything  would  be  washed  away.  You'll 
find  the  pail  farther  down  the  stream,  I  guess, 
and  not  much  lemonade  in  it,  either." 

"May  be  somebody  else  got  it  before  we  came," 
said  Frank,  with  a  forlorn  hope.'  And  they  ran 
up  into  the  woods  again  to  make  inquiries.  But 
no  one  had  thought  about  it  since  it  was  delivered 
up  to  Frank,  hours  ago ;  and  a  great  hue  and  ciy 
was  set  up  at  its  disappearance.  The  boys  ridi- 
culed him,  the  girls  lamented,  and  Gertie  felt 
called  upon  to  be  severely  sarcastic. 

"  You're  a  nice  boy  to  bring  on  a  picnic,  real 
nice  —  now  aren't  you?  "  she  asked,  in  a  wither- 
ing way.  "  First  you  spoil  the  tea,  and  then  you 


76         A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

lose  the  lemonade  ;  and  what  are  we  going  to  do 
without  it?  Just  tell  me." 

"  Dry  up !  "  said  Frank,  disrespectfully,  mean- 
ing it  as  a  command,  and  not  as  an  answer  to 
her  question. 

u  Slang  expressions ! "  cried  Susie  Franer. 
"  Fine,  one  penny,  Mr.  Frank  Fisher,  and  your 
sister  is  the  treasurer." 

"  Go  to  Guinea,  and  collect  it,"  Frank  retorted, 
half  laughing,  half  vexed,  as  he  broke  away  from 
them  to  make  another  search  farther  down  the 
stream. 

Sydney  and  Charlie  Cox  had  gone  ahead  of 
him,  and  a  shout  from  the  bushes,  in  the  marshy 
ground  below,-  announced  that  something  had 
been  discovered.  Frank  dashed  down  just  in 
time  to  meet  Sydney  coming  up  witli  the  tin  pail 
in  his  hand  —  upside  dou>n,  Charlie  Cox  had 
the  cover,  also  inverted,  and  two  or  three  squeezed 
lemons  lay  in  it  as  in  a  dish.  Explanation  was 
unnecessary,  and  comment  was  superfluous.  The 
story  told  itself,  and  Frank  had  to  own  up,  with 
as  good  a  grace  as  possible,  that  he  ought  to  have 
known  better.  lie  felt  so  chagrined,  and  re- 
quested everybody  in  such  a  resigned  tone  of 
voice,  to  "  pitch  in,  and  blow  him  up  for  a  reg- 


VIOLET'S  HANDKERCHIEF.  77 

ular  dummy ;  he  hadn't  a  word  to  say,"  that 
everybody  grew  magnanimous  immediately,  and 
declared  there  was  no  harm  done.  What  did 
anybody  want  of  lemonade  ?  Wasn't  there  water  ? 
a  whole  roaring  brook  full !  and  tea  by  the 
quart ;  and  whoever  wasn't  satisfied  with  such 
richness  — 

u  Well,  he  don't  deserve  to  be  an  honorary 
Sambo,"  said  Sydney,  "  capping  the  climax ;  " 
and  so  the  lemonade  question  was  settled,  and 
nobody's  appetite  was  spoiled.  Neither  was  the 
tea,  after  all,  if  the  way  the  cups  were  emptied 
was  any  sign.  Buttered  biscuits  and  sandwiches' 
disappeared  as  rapidly ;  cake  and  strawberries 
followed  suit ;  and  by  the  time  "  Ambo "  had 
lunched,  the  fragments  of  the  feast  were  "  noth- 
ing to  nobody." 

"What  shall  we  do  next?"  asked  May  Bar- 
nard ;  and  a  chorus  of  propositions  made  an- 
swer. 

u  Let's  have  a  dance,"  said  Susie  Franer ;  "  it's 
just  the  place  for  a  Virginia  reel." 

"  Let's  play  Copenhagen,"  said  Jack  Holbrook  ; 
"  such  fun  to  chase  the  girls  for  kisses  round 
these  trees !  " 

"  Don't  you  see  us  letting  you?"  asked  Alice 


78        A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

Haviland,  with  a  toss  of  her  curls.  "  Kissing 
games  are  not  allowed  in  this  society,  let  me 
tell  you." 

"  Let's  tell  stories,"  Came  Haven  proposed. 
"  That's  the  nicest  thing  to  do,  and  Elsie  can 
begin." 

"  Elsie  begs  to  be  excused,"  —  very  promptly. 

"  Let's  take  a  nap,  I  say,"  —  from  Sydney 
Guilford,  with  a  lazy  yawn.  "  I  feel  just  like  it." 

"  And  I  say  —  let's  wash  the  dishes !  "  Laura 
suggested,  practically.  "  Here's  warm  water 
and  lots  of  towels,  and  we'll  make  Sydney  kindle 
the  fire  again  to  keep  him  awake." 

Her  unexpected  proposition  met  with  unani- 
mous approval.  Washing  dishes  was  an  opera- 
tion that  possessed  the  charm  of  novelty  to  most 
of  the  party,  and  it  was  set  about  at  once,  with 
more  zeal  than  discretion.  Elsie  Raymond,  who 
had,  as  we  know,  experience  in  such  matters, 
looked  on  with  dismay  at  the  reckless  handling 
of  delicate  crockery,  and  interposed  quietly  a 
suggestion  here  and  there  that  saved  several  arti- 
cles from  total  ruin.  It  was  owing  to  her  alto- 
gether that  a  glass  cream-jug  of  Mrs.  Haviland's 
.was  not  split  with  boiling  water,  and  a  fine  dam- 
ask napkin  was  rescued  from  service  in  wiping 


VIOLET'S  iiAxri:::xciriEF.  79 

out  the  unwashed  strawberry  plates.  A  few 
dishes  were  cracked,  and  a  cup  and  saucer  "  dam- 
aged hopelessly,"  as  Frank  Fisher  said,  in  spite 
of  her  efforts.  But  these  were  trifles  that  did  not 
disturb  the  general  serenity. 

Sydney  strolled  oft'  while  this  housewifery  was 
going  on.  "  Too  many  cooks  spoil  the  broth," 
he  said,  to  excuse  his  laziness.  "  I  guess  I'll  go 
over  into  the  cemetery,  and  walk  around  amongst 
the  old  tombstones." 

The  cemetery  lay  beyond  the  brook  that  skirted 
Dale  Woods.  Its  white  tombstones  could  be  seen 
in  the  distance,  through  opening  vistas  of  the 
woodland,  and  its  bowery  paths  went  up  hill  and 
down  dale,  winding  about  another  branch  of  the 
same  stream,  and  leading  one  into  many  a  lovely 
nook.  The  air  was  sweet  with  roses,  blooming 
ungathered  in  the  burial  plots,  and  the  grassy 
slope  of  the  hill  was  golden  with  buttercups. 
Everything  looked  peaceful  and  beautiful  in  the 
still,  bright  sunshine  ;  and  Sydney  —  who  was 
thoughtful  when  he  chose  to  be  —  enjoyed  the 
sense  of  loneliness,  and  the  half  sad,  half  sweet 
fancies  that  came  to  him  as  he  wandered  amongst 
these  silent  graves. 


80         A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

There  was  one  that  had  been  made*  on  a  tjr- 
race  above  the  path.  Two  or  three  marble  steps 
led  up  to  a  circular  plot  that  was  enclosed  with 
a  hedge  of  orange  trees ;  and  inside  was  just  one 
little  grave,  —  a  baby's,  —  with  a  white  cross  at 
its  head.  The  inscription  was  only,  "  Our  Little 
Heart's  Ease"  and  the  little  green  mound  was 
covered  with  pui'ple  pansies,  scattered  there  by 
some  loving  hand  not  many  hours  before  ;  for  the 
flowers  were  fresh  and  unfaded  still. 

Sydney  was  too  much  like  his  mother  not  to  be 
touched  by  anything  so  simple  and  tender.  He 
stopped  with  involuntary  admiration,  and  leaned 
over  the  hedge  to  look  at  the  cross,  the  pansies, 
the  dear  little  grave  —  picturing  to  himself  the 
innocent  baby  face  that  lay  so  still  beneath  them. 
Other  people  had  done  the  same  thing  that  day, 
as  he  discovered  presently.  Something  white 
fluttered  under  the  hedge  as  he  went  down  the 
steps  again,  and,  stooping  to  pick  it  up,  he  found 
a  dainty  little  handkerchief,  fine  as  a  cobweb, 
and  pure  as  a  snow-flake,  with  a  delicate  lace 
border  around  the  edge,  and  in  one  corner  an  em- 
broidered name. 

Spelling  this  out,  letter  by  letter,  —  for  Sydney 


VIOLET'S  HANDKERCHIEF.  Si 

was  not  very  skilful  in  deciphering  the  alphabet- 
ical ornaments  that  ladies  are  fond  of,  —  he  finally 
made  it  out  to  be  u  Violet''  which  was  very 
pretty,  and  in  one  way  descriptive  ;  for  a  faint 
fragrance  suggestive  of  the  flower  (or  Lubin's  ex- 
tract) floated  about  it,  as  if  to  justify  the  name  ; 
but  it  did  not  help  one  to  a  definite  idea  of  the 
owner  of  the  handkerchief. 

"  Violet !  Violet !  I  never  knew  anybody  that 
was  named  Violet,"  Sydney  said  to  himself,  puz- 
zling over  it.  "  Why  don't  people  write  their 
names  on  their  handkerchiefs  in  good  English, 
and  black  ink,  instead  of  working  all  these  flow- 
ery flummeries,  that  don't  tell  anything  at  all? 
/  don't  know  what  to  do  with  the  thing.  I've  a 
great  mind  to  leave  it  where  I  found  it." 

But  on  second  thought  he  concluded  to  carry 
it  over  the  brook  with  him,  and  take  feminine 
advice  as  to  the  chances  of  returning  it  to  its 
owner.  Some  of  the  girls  might  know  who 
u  Violet "  was,  perhaps.  So  he  put  the  hand- 
kerchief in  his  pocket,  and  made  his  way  back 
to  the  picnic  party,  who  had  finished  their 
"  kitchen  work,"  as  he  contemptuously  called  the 
dish  washing,  and  were  playing,  with  shouts  of 
6 


82         A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

merriment,  the  ridiculous  game  of  "  Bird,  Beast, 
and  Fish." 

Sydney  broke  it  up  by  displaying  his  "  find," 
and  the  girls  flocked  around  to  wonder  at  and 
admire  the  pretty  little  mouchoir.  They  in- 
formed him  that  the  lace  was  "  real  .Valen- 
ciennes," and  the  embroidery  "  French  ;  "  but 
who  "  Violet "  was,  or  where  she  might  be 
found,  nobody  was  able  to  tell.  It  wasn't  any 
one  who  belonged  in  Englcwood ;  they  were 
all  sure  of  that. 

"  But  it  might  be  one  of  the  summer  boarders, 
that  come  up  here  every  year,"  May  Barnard 
suggested. 

And  as  this  was  a  very  probable  supposition, — 
Englewood  being  a  popular  place  of  summer 
resort,  —  it  was  decided  that  it  was  useless  to 
make  inquiries  for  the  unknown  owner. 

"  I  shall  advertise  it  in  the  post-office,"  Sydney 
said,  laughingly ;  "  and  if  Violet  doesn't  come 
forward  to  prove  property  and  pay  expenses, 
then  I'll  tell  you  what'll  I  do  with  it." 

"  Give  it  to  me,  of  course,"  said  Laura, 
merrily. 

"  Not  a  bit  of  it.     I'll  '  turn  to  the  east,  and 


VIOLET'S  HANDKERCHIEF.  83 

turn  to  the  west,  and  give  it  to  the  pretty  girl  that 
I  love  best.'  " 

But  who  that  "  pretty  girl  "  was  he  refused 
to  tell ;  perhaps  for  the  reason  that  he  didn't 
know  himself. 


84      A   WRONG   CONFESSED    IS    HALF   REDRESSED. 


CHAPTER   V. 
VIOLET'S  GRANDFATHER. 

AT  this  very  time,  while  the  boys  and  girls 
in  Dale  Woods  were  talking  about  Vio- 
let's handkerchief,  an  old  gentleman  was  sitting 
at  a  window,  a  mile  or  two  away,  watching  im- 
patiently for  Violet  herself.  It  was  the  dinner 
hour  at  the  boarding-house,  and  everybody  else 
had  gone  down ;  but  Colonel  Schuyler  was  a 
fastidious  old  gentleman,  very  punctilious  in  his 
notions  of  etiquette,  and  he  would  never  go  to 
the  table  until  his  granddaughter  was  ready  to 
accompany  him. 

So  he  sat  at  the  parlor-window  all  alone, 
and  fretted  and  fidgeted  as  he  heard  the  rattle  of 
knives  and  forks,  and  the  cheerful  hum  of  voices 
in  the  next  room,  and  thought  of  the  cold  dinner 
that  he  was  likely  to  eat,  and  which  he  did  not 
relish  in  anticipation.  He  liked  his  comfort  in 
most  things,  and  was  particular  about  his  din- 


VIOLET'S  GRANDFATHER.  85 

ner.  Anything  that  interfered  with  that  was  apt 
to  ruffle  his  temper,  which  was  not  like  "the 
bosom  of  a  lake  on  a  summer  noon"  at  any 
time. 

Fortunately  for  his  peace  of  mind,  he  had 
not  long  to  wait.  The  gallop  of  hoofs  in  ths 
distance  made  his  face  brighten  presently,  and 
leaning  out  of  the  window,  he  saw  a  glimpse  of 
blue  fluttering  amongst  the  trees.  Next  minute 
a  little  shaggy  Shetland  pony  came  dashtng 
through  the  open  gate,  a  long,  blue  riding-habit 
streaming  over  the  saddle,  and  a  mass  of  lovely 
golden  hair,  blown  back  from  the  bright,  flushed 
face  of  its  wearer,  flying  loose  in  the  breeze. 

Colonel  Schuyler  hastened  out  to  help  her  dis- 
mount ;  but  the  young  girl  gathered  up  her 
habit,  and  sprang  off  lightly,  as  one  accustomed 
to  it. 

"  I  have  kept  you  waiting — haven't  I,  grandpa  ? 
Am  I  ever  so  late?"  she  exclaimed,  eagerly,  as 
she  ran  up  to  him.  "  Don't  scold,  though  !  I've 
had  such  a  lovely  morning,  and  found  so  many 
beautiful  places !  I  think  this  country  all  about 
here  is  perfectly  charming" 

"  And  I  think  my  dinner  will  be  perfectly 
charming,  when  I  get  it,"  growled  the  colonel. 


86    A   WRONG   CONFESSED    IS    HALF   REDRESSED. 

"  Do  you  know-  the   bell  rang  all  of  ten  min- 
utes ago  ?  " 

"  If  you  only  wouldn't  wait  for  me  — "  Violet 
began  ;  but  he  interrupted  her. 

"  Never  mind  about  that.  Fly  up  stairs  and 
get  your  habit  off." 

And  Violet  flew,  coming  back  again  in  an  in- 
credibly short  time,  with  her  floating  hair  tamed 
down,  her  peachy  cheeks  more  blooming  than  ever, 
after  the  hasty  dash  of  cold  water,  and  a  short  blue 
frock  in  place  of  the  riding-skirt.  Everybody 
looked  up  as  they  came  into  the  dining-room 
together,  and  more  than  one  admiring  glance 
rested  on  the  graceful  little  figure,  escorted  so 
ceremoniously  by  -the  white-headed  old  gentle- 
man. Violet  was  quite  unconscious  of  any- 
body's notice.  She  was  little  more  than  a  child 
in  years,  and  perfectly  child-like  in  disposition, 
though  she  had  a  dainty  ease  and  dignity  of 
manner  that  proved  her  well-bred  association. 

She  kept  on  —  in  a  low  tone,  for  her  grand- 
father's ear  only  —  with  the  history  of  her  morn- 
ing's adventures,  while  the  colonel  sipped  his 
soup :  she  only  played  with  her  spoon. 

"  I  have  been  into  the  woods,  grandpapa,  and 
to  the  cemetery  close  by,"  she  said.  "  There's 


VIOLET'S  GRANDFATHER.  87 

such  a  brook  —  all  rocks  and  waterfalls  —  and 
so  many  wild  flowers  growing  everywhere !  I 
gathered  them  till  I  didn't  know  what  to  do  with 
them,  and  then  they  withered,  and  I  had  to  throw 
them  away." 

"  Most  sensible  thing  you  could  do,"  said  the 
colonel.  "What  do  you  want  with  the  weeds?" 

"  O,  they  are  beautiful.  And  another  time  I 
mean  to  take  a  basket,  and  gather  moss,  and 
keep  them  fresh.  I  saw  some  girls  and  boys  in 
the  woods  to-day,  —  a  whole  party  of  them,  — 
and  they  were  pressing  ferns  and  wild  flowers  in 
newspapers." 

"  Big  business.  I  suppose  you  joined  the 
party  ?  " 

"  No,  of  course  not ; "  with  a  silvery  little 
laugh.  "  But  I  wanted  to,  dreadfully,  grand- 
papa —  they  seemed  to  be  enjoying  themselves 
so  much,  and  some  of  the  girls  were  so  pretty 
and  lady-like." 

"  How  about  the  boys?"  laughed  the  colonel. 

"  O,  they  were  nice,  too.  They  were  all 
dressed  in  a  sort  of  uniform,  and  had  bits  of 
bright  blue  ribbon  pinned  on  their  jackets.  The 
girls  had  the  same,  every  one  of  them.  It  was 
some  sort  of  badge,  I  think," 


88     A    WRONG    CONFESSED    IS    HALF    REDRESSED. 

"  A  Sunday-school  picnic,"  suggested  her 
grandfather. 

"  No,  it  was  not  like  a  Sunday  school  at  all," 
Violet  objected.  '  "  There  were  no  teachers  or 
grown  people  —  only  boys  and  girls.  I  did 
not  get  close  enough  to  hear  what  they  talked 
about.  I  was  afraid  they  would  see  me,  you 
know ;  but  I  couldn't  help  peeping  at  them  be- 
hind the  trees,  they  looked  so  pretty  and  merry  ; 
and  I  was  curious  to  see  what  they  were  doing. 
It  was  very  rude,  I  suppose,"  she  added,  apolo- 
getically ;  "  but  I  was  only  admiring  them,  and 
envying  them  just  a  little." 

"  It's  a  pity  you  should  have  to  do  that,"  said 
her  grandfather,  quietly. 

Violet's  face  flushed  quickly.  "  I  only  meant 
just  for  the  time,"  she  answered,  hastily.  "  There 
were  so  many  of  them,  and  I  felt  lonely  for  a 
minute.  I  don't  envy  anybody  in  earnest,  grand- 
papa, you  know." 

"  I  hope  you  have  no  reason  to,"  he  said,  in 
the  same  tone.  "  Most  people  would  think  you 
were  the  one  to  be  envied.  What  did  you  do 
with  Tarn  O'Shanter  while  you  were  playing 
Peeping  Tom?" 

"  What    a   name   to   call    me,    grandpapa ! " 


VIOLET'S  GRANDFATHER.  89 

Violet  looked  up  with  a  cloud  in  her  blue  eyes, 
but  it  melted  into  sunshine  as  she  met  his  smile. 
u  You  are  only  teasing  ms,"  she  said,  with  a 
pretty  little  pout.  "  It  wasn't  any  harm  to  look 
at  the  picnic  —  now  was  it,  really  ?  " 

"  Not  much,"  he  owned,  smilingly  ;  and  she 
went  on,  relieved,  to  explain  that  she  had  tied 
Tarn  O'Shanter  —  the  pony  —  to  a  tree  i:i  the 
cemetery,  while  his  mistress  had  gone  about  on 
a  voyage  of  discovery.  There  was  a  gully,  with 
steep  sides,  and  a  rivulet  rippling  over  the  stor.y 
bottom,  which  separated  the  woods  from  the 
cemetery  road.  Violet  had  gathered  up  her 
habit,  and  scrambled  over  this  gully,  then  fol- 
lowed the  up-hill,  winding  path  wherever  it  led, 
till  she  came,  unawares,  upon  the  picnic  party 
which  had  so  attracted  her  fancy.  It  was  odd 
enough  that  none' of  the  restless  little  crowd  had 
caught  a  glimpse  of  her ;  but  they  were  all  busy 
at  that  time,  and  she  had  kept  herself  hidden 
behind  the  bushes  for  the  minute  or  two  that 
she  stopped  to  watch  them.  Then  she  had 
slipped  back  again,  quietly,  in  tlie  same  way,  and 
amused  herself  with  wandering  in  the  picturesque 
grounds  of  the  cemetery,  reading  the  epitaphs, 
and  gathering  ferns  by  the  brook-side,  until  the 


90     A   WRONG   CONFESSED    IS   HALF   REDRESSED. 

morning  slipped  away,  and  she  discovered  that 
she  would  have  to  gallop  fast  to  overtake  the 
dinner  hour. 

"  Which  you  didn't  overtake,  after  all,"  said 
her  grandfather.  "  The  idea  of  being  so  fasci- 
nated with  a  graveyard  as  to  forget  all  about 
your  dinner !  I  dare  say  you  picked  out  the 
spot  where  you  wish  to  be  buried,  and  composed 
a  romantic  epitaph,  full  of  moonshine  and  lilies." 

"  No,  indeed,  I  didn't,"  Violet  returned,  gayly. 
"  I  don't  care  about  being  buried  just  now,  if 
you  please ;  the  world  is  too  beautiful  to  leave 
so  soon.  There  were  graves  there  that  would 
have  fitted  me,  though,"  she  added,  softly.  "  One 
tombstone  had  my  very  birthday  on  it,  and  one 
had  my  name.  But  that  was  a  dear  little  baby's 
grave.  I  couldn't  help  crying  over  it." 

"  I  hope  you  were  well  supplied  with  hand- 
kerchiefs," said  Colonel  Schuyler,  comically ; 
and  Violet  laughed. 

"  No,  I  only  had  one,  and  I  lost  that,"  she 
answered.  "Whatever  I  did  with  it  I  can't 
imagine  ;  but  it  slipped  away  from  me,  and  I 
was  provoked  about  it,  I  can  tell  you." 

"  It  must  have  been  a  serious  loss,  considering 
the  tears." 


VIOLET  S    GRANDFATHER.  9! 

"  It  was  one  of  my  prettiest  handkerchiefs," 
returned  Violet,  practically.  "  And  you  gave 
it  to  me,  besides.  That  was  what  provoked 
me." 

"  Perhaps,  by  industry  and  economy,  I  can 
raise  the  means  to  give  you  another,"  he  said, 
jocosely.  And  as  Violet  knew  very  well  that 
she  could  have  a  dozen  more  of  the  same  kind, 
if  she  expressed  a  wish  for  them,  the  little 
handkerchief  was  easily  forgotten.  She  had 
such  luxuries  in  plenty ;  laces,  and  ribbons,  and 
trinkets,  and  pretty  fineries  of  all  sorts,  had  been 
lavished  upon  her  by  her  grandfather,  to  whom 
she  herself  was  the  most  precious  and  beautiful 
thing  in  all  the  world.  They  were  every-day 
matters  to  her,  and  she  attached  very  little  im- 
portance to  them.  She  had  none  of  Maddy 
Shaw's  vain  consciousness,  and  never  imagined 
that  anybody  would  think  more  or  less  of  her 
on  account  of  her  dress  or  possessions. 

What  she  wished  for,  and  sometimes  felt 
linclined  to  envy  others  for  having,  was  the 
*  jmpanionship  of  young  people.  She  loved 
her  grandfather  dearly,  but  she  could  not  help 
feeling  lonely  at  times,  and  thinking,  in  a  wist- 
ful way,  how  nice  it  would  be  to  have  a  brother 


92      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

or  a  sister,  or  somebody,  —  that  was  young  and 
foolish  like  herself,  —  to  go  everywhere  with 
her,  and  share  all  the  childish  fancies  and 
projects  that  were  too  trifling  to  bother 
grandpapa  about. 

Grandpapa  had  strict  notions  about  many 
tilings,  and  in  his  opinion  there  were  very  few 
young  people  who  were  good  enough  to  associate 
with  his  darling.  In  a  general  way  he  would 
acknowledge,  of  course,  that  she  was  not  per 
feet,  and  there  might  be  a  great  many  boys 
and  girls  who  would  make  suitable  companions 
for  her.  Violet  was  not  much  the  better,  how- 
ever, for  these  hypothetical  boys  and  girls.  She 
was  not  allowed  to  visit  any  young  people,  and 
it  was  only  on  rare  occasions  that  any  had  been 
invited  to  visit  her.  She  used  to  wish  that 
she  could  go  to  school ;  but  that  was  not  to 
be  thought  of.  She  must  be  educated  at  home, 
according  to  her  grandfather's  theories ;  and 
he  had  taken  the  greatest  pains  to  find  the  most 
accomplished  governess  for  her. 

Mrs.  Weldon  was  kind  and  affectionate,  as 
well  as  cultivated  and  lady-like.  Violet  was 
fond  of  her,  and  happy  to  be  her  pupil.  She 
loved  Mrs.  Brown,  the  good  housekeeper,  who 


VIOLET'S   GRANDFATHER.  93 

had  petted  her  from  her  babyhood,  and  Becky 
Price,  the  seamstress,  who  had  once  been  her 
nurse.  She  loved  her  grandfather  best  of  all, 
and  she  was  not  in  the  least  unhappy  or  dis- 
contented amongst  these  grown-up  people.  But 
still,  if  she  had  had  her  wish,  there  would 
have  been  more  fun  and  frolic  in  the  house, 
and  the  sound  of  other  children's  voices  to 
mingle  with  her  own. 

She  had  watched  the  party  in  the  woods  with 
such  longing  eyes  !  "  If  grandpapa  would  only 
let  me  get  acquainted  with  some  of  those  nice- 
looking  girls ! "  had  been  her  wistful  thought. 
"  It  must  be  nice  to  have  so  many  playmates ; 
and  they  all  seem  so  merry  together !  I  wish  I 
might  know  them  some  time." 

And  she  had  even  singled  out  the  faces  that 
she  liked  best  in  the  little  crowd,  and  pictured 
over  to  herself,  afterwards,  Elsie,  and  Carrie, 
and  Alice,  and  Laura,  with  a  very  distinct  recol- 
lection of  their  different  looks.  It  was  Laura's 
face,  however,  that  dwelt  longest  in  her  fancy, 
and  she  found  herself  more  than  once,  during  the 
day,  thinking  how  pleasant  it  would  be  to  have 
her  for  a  friend,  and  wondering  if  such  a  thing 


94      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

might  be  one  of  the  possibilities  of  this  new 
home  they  were  to  live  in. 

She  did  not  speak  her  thoughts  aloud,  for  Colonel 
Schuyler  never  liked  to  think  that  she  felt  lonely, 
or  wished  for  anybody  but  himself.  He  asked 
her,  after  dinner,  if  she  was  too  tired  to  go  over 
to  the  house,  and  see  how  the  workmen  were 
getting  on  with  the  repairs  and  alterations. 
Violet  laughed  at  the  idea  of  being  tired,  and 
they  were  soon  on  their  way  to  "the  old  Van 
Wyck  place,"  which  had  now  become,  by  right 
of  purchase,  Colonel  Schuyler's  property,  and, 
as  Sydney  had  told  Laura,  he  was  having  it 
thoroughly  overhauled  to  make  it  ready  for  his 
own  occupation.  The  workmen  had  been  busy 
for  a  month,  during  which  time  Violet  and  her 
grandfather  had  had  rooms  at  the  large  summer 
boarding-house,  which  was  conveniently  near ; 
and  as  Mrs.  Weldon  had  taken  the  opportunity 
of  the  general  change  and  unsettlement  to  make 
a  visit  to  her  relatives,  Violet  was  having  a  long 
holiday. 

She  enjoyed  it  heartily,  and  improved  it  by 
taking  long  rides  and  walks  in  every  possible 
direction.  She  spent  a  great  deal  of  time  at  the 
old  house,  too,  which  she  thought  the  most 


VIOLET'S    GKANDFATHER.  95 

beautiful  and  picturesque  place  she  had  ever 
seen.  The  gray  stone  walls  were  mantled  with 
ivy,  in  which  a  host  of  birds  built  their  nests ; 
there  was  a  mtillioned  window,  and  a  stately 
arch  under  which  the  carriages  stopped  before 
the  front  entrance ;  with  wings,  and  gable-ends, 
and  diamond-paned  lattices,  and  an  observatory, 
from  which  one  could  have  a  clear  sweep  of 
the  beautiful  river  from  the  Palisades  to  Croton 
Point. 

Inside  the  house  were  a  great  many  rooms, 
some  of  them  very  quaint  and  pretty,  some  very 
lofty  and  fine ;  with  long  corridors,  and  little 
unexpected  passages,  leading  to  queer  closets 
and  corners,  and  unsuspected  staircases.  Violet 
thought  it  was  all  delightful,  and  was  glad  that 
her  grandfather  meant  to  leave  all  these  un- 
changed. He  was  having  the  fine  old  wood- 
work polished  and  restored,  the  ceilings  frescoed, 
and  the  paper-hangings  renewed.  But  every-  • 
thing  was  done  in  harmony  with  the  old  style 
of  the  house ;  and  even  the  new  furniture  that 
was  ordered  had  been  made  to  correspond  with 
the  general  antiquity. 

"  It  will  soon  be  ready  for  us  to  come  into  — 
won't  it,  grandpapa  ?  "  she  asked,  as  they  stood 


96      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

together  by  the  fine  Gothic  window  in  the  hall. 
"  All  this  part  of  the  house  is  ready  for  the  fur- 
niture now  —  isn't  it?" 

"  Yes,  and  that  will  come  to-morrow.  In 
about  a  week  we  can  take  up  our  quarters  here. 
Do  you  think  you  will  be  happy  in  the  old 
house,  Violet?" 

"Yes,  indeed,"  said  Violet,  promptly.  "I 
never  saw  any  place  that  I  liked  so  well." 

She  had  said  the  same  thing  twenty  times 
before,  but  it  was  always  pleasant  to  him  to 
hear  her  say  it. 

"  Come  out  into  the  orchard,  and  let  us  see 
if  we  can  find  some  cherries.  Those  ox-hearts 
ought  to  be  ripe  after  to-day's  sun,"  he  said  ;  and 
Violet  tied  on  her  broad-brimmed  hat  again, 
and  went  with  him  across  the  lawn,  through  the 
garden,  and  down  a  sunny  slope  to  the  orchard 
that  lay  below. 

>  There  were  many  varieties  of  fruit  trees  here  ; 
apple  and  quince,  plum  and  pear,  and  cherry, 
apricot,  peach,  and  nectarine.  A  grapery  was 
built  at  one  end,  and  orange  and  lemon  trees 
were  growing  under  the  glass.  There  was  the 
promise  of  plenty  of  luscious  fruit  in  its  season, 
but  the  cherries  were  the  only  eatable  things 


VIOLET'S  GRANDFATHER.  x  97 

just  now.  Violet  sat  down  on  the  soft  thick 
grass  under  the  tree,  while  her  grandfather 
hooked  down,  with  his  cane,  long  branches 
full  of  crimson  clusters,  broke  them  off,  and 
tossed  them  into  her  lap.  It  was  very  pleasant 
to  sit  there,  eating  the  pretty  fruit,  with  the 
fresh  wind  rustling  through  the  leaves,  and  the 
birds  singing  over  her  head. 

"  I  never  saw  such  cherries  in  New  'York, 
grandpapa  ;  they  are  as  sweet  as  honey,"  she 
said. 

"  Wait  till  the  black  ones  are  ripe,  over  there," 
he  answered.  "  Then  you  will  see  cherries  that 
are  worth  eating.  Of  course  you  never  had 
such  in  New  York,  for  they  are  always  spoiled 
by  the  journey.  Cherries  should  be  eaten  fresh 
from  the  tree." 

"  Are  there  any  peaches  in  the  orchard?"  she 
asked. 

"  Yes  ;  they  are  trained  against  the  wall  near 
the  grapery.  Murphy  says  there  are  two  or 
three  very  choice  varieties,  and  the  pears  are 
the  finest  in  the  country.  Old  Van  Wyck  paid 
a  great  deal  of  attention  to  his  orchard  ;  he  did 
not  care  so  much  for  his  flower  garden.  You 

7 


98      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

and  Mrs.  Weldon  will  have  plenty  to  do  there, 
Violet." 

"  I  shall  like  it  dearly,'"  said  Violet.  "  I  al- 
ways wanted  a  garden  to  take  care  of.  And  I 
mean  to  have  some  poultry,  too,  some  chickens, 
and  guinea  hens  —  O  !  and  a  peacock  !  We 
ought  to  have  a  peacock,  grandpapa,  to  strut 
about  the  lawn,  and  spread  his  elegant  tail." 

"  And  keep  us  awake  at  night  with  his 
screams,"  laughed  her  grandfather.  "  Did  you 
ever  hear  the  noise  the  creatures  make?  It's 
worse  than  a  cat  howling." 

"  Everything  makes  a  noise  here,"  said  Violet. 
"  I  hear  the  cows  lowing,  and  the  dogs  barking, 
and  the  owls  hooting,  and  the  chickens  crow- 
ing. Every  night  I  hear  something  when  I  wake 
up.  But  I  don't  mind  it.  I  like  all  the  coun- 
try noises  so  much  better  than  the  city  noises." 

"We  must  have  a  dog,  I  suppose,"  said 
Colonel  Schuyler. 

"  O,  yes !  a  dear  little  King  Charles,  to  bark 
at  the  peacock,"  said  Violet,  merrily. 

"  O,  no  !  a  big  bull-dog,  or  mastiff,  to  bark  at 
the  tramps,"  he  retorted. 

"  The  poor  tramps !  "  exclaimed  Violet. 
"  Why  must  they  be  barked  at,  I  wonder  ? " 


VIOLET'S  GRANDFATHER.  99 

"  To  keep  them  from  stealing  my  fruit,  prowl- 
ing about  my  poultry-yard,  and  robbing  my 
house,  maybe.  They  will  be  barked  at,  and 
bitten,  too,  if  they  are  caught  trespassing." 

"  I  thought  it  was  the  school-boys  that  stole 
the  fruit,"  said  Violet.  "  They  always  do  in 
the  story-books.  I  read  one  once,  where  a  boy 
stole  five  cherries,  one  night,  off  a  tree,  and  the 
five  cherry-stones  tormented  him  by  turning  up 
continually  in  the  most  unexpected  places.  They 
obliged  him  to  confess,  at  last,  and  I  always 
felt  sorry  for  the  poor  fellow,  to  think  he  only 
had  five  cherries  for  all  that  trouble  ! " 

Her  grandfather  laughed. 

"  The  play  was  hardly  worth  the  candle,  — 
was  it?  But  it  was  all  the  better  lesson  for  him, 
and  served  him  right.  I'd  punish  a  boy  for 
stealing  five  cherries  with  as  good  a  will  as  if 
he  had  stolen  five  bushels.  The  intention  to 
steal  is  the  crime,  not  the  value  of  the  tiling 
stolen.  Remember  that,  missy." 


100      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

LAURA'S  IDEA. 

"  'THHERE  is  one  thing  I  haven't  heard  yet," 
JL  said  Sydney.  "  What  are  you  going  to 
do  with  the  money — supposing  there  is  any  — 
that  comes  from  the  fair?" 

It  was  Laura's  turn  to  have  the  society,  and 
the  parlor  at  the  brown  cottage  was  full  of  busy 
bees.  All  the  girls  were  there  in  force,  and  a 
few  of  the  "  honoraries"  had  dropped  in,  "just 
to  see  what  was  going  on,  and  have  a  little  fun." 
The  fun  consisted  chiefly  in  mischief,  Charlie 
Cox  being  an  inveterate  "  practical  joker,"  and 
Frank  Fisher  and  Sydney  not  at  all  too  virtuous 
to  follow  his  bad  example. 

The  work-baskets  were  upset  "  accidentally," 
and  the  spools  tangled  together  in  wild  confu- 
sion ;  the  knitting-work,  laid  down  for  a  moment, 
lost  its  needles  mysteriously,  and  the  scissors  and 
emery-cushions  kept  bobbing  out  of  sight  just 


LAURA'S  IDEA.  101 

when  they  were  most  particularly  wanted.  No 
boy  had  the  slightest  idea  how  it  happened,  of 
course,  when  Carrie  Haven's  crochet-needle,  that 
she  had  hunted  for  five  minutes,  was  found  sud- 
denly sticking  in  her  waterfall.  And  it  filled 
them  all  three  with  the  most  innocent  astonish- 
ment when  Flossie's  cat  marched  in  with  Lizzie 
Walker's  emery-cushion  tied  round  her  neck. 

Laura  rose,  at  last,  "  to  a  point  of  order." 
, "  I'll  turn  all  three  of  you  out  of  the  room 
if  you  don't  behave  better.  You  are  worse  thiin 
magpies,  and  jir.kilaws,  and  monkeys,  all  togeth- 
er," she  scolde;!,  half  laughing,  half  vexed. 
"  Charlie  Cox,  I'll  tell  your  mother  of  you  the 
very  next  time  I  see  her." 

"Now,  isn't  that  rough  on  a  fellow?"  asked 
the  "  honoraiy,"  with  an  appealing  look  of  in- 
jured innocence.  u  I  leave  it  to  the  assembled 
Ambo,  and  I  hope  they'll  answer  una  voce,  if 
anybody  has  seen  me  do  an  identical  thing?" 

"  O,  no ! "  said  Laura,  in  a  withering  way. 
"  Of  course  not.  We  don't  see  you  doing  any- 
thing, but  we  feel  the  consequences.  Now, 
what's  become  of  that  other  shoe,  I  wonder? 
It  was  here  two  minutes  ago,  and  .io\v  it  isn't." 


IO2      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

• 

"Is  it  the  doll's  shoe?"  asked  Sydney,  inno- 
cently. 

"  Yes,  it  is.  Now,  Syd,  I'm  tired  of  tricks, 
and  I  want  to  finish  this  doll  to-day.  Tell  me 
where  it  is,  if  you  know.'" 

But  he  didn't  know.  He  only  meant  to  sug- 
gest that  "  if  she'd  look  in  the  place  where  it 
was  lost,  she'd  probably  find  it."  Which  was 
eminently  satisfactory,  of  course. 

"  Charlie  Cox  knows  where  it  is ;  I  see  it  in 
his  eyes,"  said  Alice  Haviland. 

"  O,  good  gracious  !  Come  and  take  it  out !  " 
he  exclaimed,  jumping  up  in  a  hurry.  "  Who'd 
have  thought  of  such  a  thing !  How  could 
it  have  got  there?  Does  anybody  else  see  it? 
She  sees  a  doll's  shoe  sticking  in  my  eye ;  O, 
come  and  take  it  out  before  I  die ! " 

He  danced  about  with  such  a  ridiculous  pre- 
tence of  terror,  that  the  boys  shouted,  and  the 
girls  screamed  with  laughter.  Even  Laura  had 
to  join  in  the  "  audible  smile,"  though  she  was 
vexed  at  the  nonsense  and  the  hinderance  to 
her  work.  The  missing  shoe  was  not  to  be 
found,  even  after  everybody  had  jumped  up, 
and  shaken  out  their  skirts,  and  peeped  under 
the  sofas  and  chairs,  and  hunted  over  all  the 


LAURA'S  IDEA.  103 

possible  hiding-places.  So  Laura  sat  down 
again  at  last,  with  a  resigned  expression. 

"  It  is  no  use  looking  any  longer,  and  of 
course  it's  no  use  expecting  you  to  tell  what 
you  did  with  it.  I  might  as  well  make  an- 
other, though  I  don't  believe  I  can  cut  another 
out  of  this  little  scrap  of  morocco,"  she  said, 
dolefully. 

"  Was  it  made  out  of  red  morocco  ?  "  asked 
Frank  Fisher,  with  as  much  simplicity  as  if  he 
were  really  asking  for  information. 

Gertie  gave  him  a  severe  look. 

"  You  know  it  was,  Frank ;  and  it's  too  bad 
to  tease  Laura  so.  Why  don't  you  tell  her  where 
it  is,  and  not  let  her  have  all  the  trouble  of 
making  another  ?  " 

"  I  saw,"  said  Frank,  with  a  sly  giggle,  and 
a  slanting  look  at  Charlie  Cox,  "  something  red 
inside  the  doll's  head,  where  it's  hollow,  you 
know;  the  place  where*  the  brains  ought  to  be. 
/  didn't  put  it  there." 

"  O!"  exclaimed  Gertie,  vehemently.  "Did 
anybody  ever  — "  But  language  was  inade- 
quate. A  chorus  of  indignant  outcry  from  the 
girls  and  a  shout  of  fun  from  the  boys  finished 
her  sentence.  Laura  snatched  her  scissors,  and 


104      A  WROXG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

made  a  dash  at  the  doll.  Rip,  rip  went  the 
stitches  with  which  the  head  had  been  so  se- 
curely fastened  on  —  a  poke  up  into  the  region 
of  the  brain  —  a  shake  —  and  out  dropped,  true 
enough,  the  poor  little  red  shoe. 

Charlie  Cox  looked  on  with  innocent  wonder. 

"  If  that  isn't  the  funniest  thing ! "  he  ex- 
claimed. "  What  were  you  thinking  about, 
Laura,  when  you  did  that  ?  " 

But  it  was  no  use  to  scold  such  a  monkey, 
even  for  his  sauciness.  Laura  was  glad  to  get 
her  shoe  back  at  any  cost,  and  she  contented 
herself  with  darting  an  unutterable  glance  at 
him  before  she  proceeded  to  sew  on  the  doll's 
head  again.  Whether  it  was  this  that  subdued 
him,  or  whether  his  mischief  had  reached  its  cli- 
max, I  don't  know  ;  but  "  Ambo  "  subsided,  after 
this,  into  a  soberer  frame.  Charlie  offered  his 
services  to  wind  worsteds,  and  that  furnished  oc- 
cupation for  two  pairs  of  hands  —  his  own  and 
Sydney's.  Frank  Fisher  demanded  something 
to  do,  also,  on  the  plea  that 

"  Satan  finds  some  mischief  still 
For  idle  hands  to  do,  "  — 

and  he  couldn't  be  responsible  for  consequences 


LAURA'S  IDEA.  105 

unless  somebody  set  him  to  work.  Susie  Franer 
gave  him  a  box  of  beads  to  sort, — the  black 
from  the  white,  the  blue  from  the  red  and  yel- 
low, and  so  on,  —  which  he  found  quite  enough 
for  his  present  attention.  So  everybody  was  busy 
at  last,  and  the  fair-work  made  better  progress. 

Sydney's  question  started  a  controversy. 

"  I  think  we  ought  to  buy  some  new  books 
with  the  money,  for  the  Sunday-school  library," 
said  May  Barnard. 

"  Which  library  ? "  asked  Carrie  Haven. 
"  There  are  Baptists,  and  Presbyterians,  and 
Church-women  in  this  crowd,  and  we've  all  got 
Sunday  schools."  » 

May  was  rather  taken  aback. 

"  Of  course  I  meant  our  own  library,"  she 
said.  "We  are  more  Episcopalians  than  any- 
thing else." 

"  It  isn't  fair  to  leave  the  rest  of  us  out  in 
the  cold,  though  —  is  it?"  asked  Susie  Franer, 
with  a  little  toss,  to  signify  she  was  as  good  as 
anybody,  if  she  wasn't  an  Episcopalian. 

"  No,  indeed,"  interposed  Laura,  quickly. 
"  Everybody  has  an  equal  right  here,  and  we 
must  do  everything  una  voce,  you  know." 

"  We  might  divide  the  money,"  May  persisted, 


IO6      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

"  so  much  for  each  school,  in  proportion  to  its 
representatives  in  the  society." 

"  That's  a  nice  way  to  get  the  lion's  share  for 
yourself,"  retorted  Susie.  "  We  ought  to  be 
much  obliged  to  her,  Gertie  —  you  and  I,  and 
Georgie.  We'd  have  at  least  three  new  books 
for  our  library  !  " 

"  I  thought,"  said  Elsie  Raymond,  putting  in 
a  quiet  word  by  way  of  diversion,  "  that  we  were 
working  for  the  poor,  and  not  for  ourselves 
at  all." 

"  So  we  are,  of  course !  "  exclaimed  two  or 
three  together.  "  What  was  May  thinking 
about?" 

"  Aren't  there  poor  children  in  the  Sunday 
school?"  asked  May,  a  little  nettled.  "And 
won't  the  books  benefit  them,  I  wonder?  It 
was  only  a  suggestion,  though.  If  anybody  has 
anything  better  to  propose  —  " 

"  I'll  tell  you  what  /  think  would  be  nice," 
said  Carrie  Haven.  "  There's  poor  Mrs.  Riley, 
with  her  three  little- children  to  work  for.  She 
takes  in  sewing,  you  know,  to  support  herself; 
and  if  she  had  a  sewing  machine — " 

"  Well,  she  has  got  one,"  interrupted  Frank 
Fisher,  looking  up  from  his  bead-work.  "  I 


LAURA'S  IDEA.  107 

went  by  her  window  yesterday,  and  I  saw  her 
clicking-  away  at  the  machine  like  a  house 
afire." 

"  That's  nil  you  know,"  retorted  Carrie.  "  The 
machine  isn't  hers  at  all.  She  has  to  hire  it, 
and  she  told  me  herself  that  it  was  very  hard 
work  to  earn  her  living,  and  pay  for  the  rent 
of  the  machine.  She  said  that  many  a  day  she 
and  her  children  had  nothing  but  dry  bread  to 
eat.  Now,  I  think  s/ie's  an  object  of  charity." 

"  So  do  I,"  said  Laura,  warmly  ;  "  but  I  never 
knew  she  was  as  poor  as  that." 

"•  She  doesn't  tell  people,"  said  Carrie.  "  But 
aunty  went  there  one  day  to  get  some  work 
done,  and  she  asked  her  questions,  and .  found 
out  more  than  we  ever  knew  before." 

"  I  thought  you  said  she  told  you"  interposed 
Lizzie. 

"  Well,  and  so  she  did,"  returned  Carrie,  col- 
oring up.  "  I  had  something,  I  didn't  want  it 
myself,  and  I  wanted  to  give  it  to  her.  So  then 
I  went  there  by  myself,  and  she  told  me  some 
things.  But  you  know  she  isn't  like  the  Bob- 
town  people ;  she's  proud,  and  wouldn't  like  to 
have  it  talked  about  that  she  is  so  poor.  If 


IOS      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED 

we  do  anything  for  her,  we  must  do  it  so  as 
not  to  hurt  her  feelings." 

"  What  do  you  all  think  about  it  ? "  asked 
Lnura.  "What  do  you  think,  Elsie?" 

"That  we  couldn't  do  anything  better  —  if 
we  have  money  enough,"  was  Elsie's  answer. 
"  Perhaps,  though,  we  had  better  not  decide 
until  we  see  if  our  fair  is  a  success." 

"  Elsie  is  always  on  the  prudent  side,"  laughed 
Alice.  "  But  if  we  don't  make  enough  to  buy 
a  sewing  machine,  we  ought  to  be  ashamed  of 
ourselves." 

"  Let's  see  what  they  cost,"  said  Laura,  pick- 
ing up  a  pretty  little  "Golden  Calendar"  th;;t 
lay  on  a  table  near  her.  "  Here's  the  Wheeler 
and  Wilson  Almanac,  with  a  list  of  different 
styles  and  prices ;  pictures  of  them  too.  How 
do  you  like  tliis?  Full  case,  polished  rosewood, 
and  drawers,  with  satin-wood  lining  —  price  two 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars." 

"  Nonsense  !  "  said  Carrie,  flatly.  "  We  can 
get  one  for  a  quarter  of  that." 

"  Of  course,"  laughed  Laura.  "  Here's  an- 
other for  fifty-five  dollars.  '  This  machine  is 
adapted  for  family  use,'  "  she  read  aloud,  " '  for 
seamstresses,  for  tailoring,  and  for  manufactur- 


LAURA'S  IDEA.  109 

ing  purposes.  It  will  sew  all  kinds  of  fabrics. 
It  is  the  cheapest  machine  manufactured.'  There, 
that's  just  what  we  want  —  isn't  it?  And,  as 
Alice  says,  if  we  don't  make  our  fair  worth 
fifty-five  dollars,  we  ought  to  be  ashamed  of 
ourselves." 

"  We  ought  to  make  twice,  thi-ee  times  as 
much,"  said  Charlie  Cox,  "  and  we  will  too. 
We'll  get  the  machine  for  Mrs.  Riley,  and  a 
silver  medal  all  round  for  Ambo." 

"A  leather  one  for  you,"  exclaimed  Laura, 
merrily.  "  I'll  make  one  now  out  of  this  scrap 
of  red  morocco." 

"  Suppose  we  should  have  a  lot  of  money  — 
more  than  enough  for  the  machine,"  put  in 
Gertie.  "What  will  we  do  next?" 

'  O,  *don't  count  any  more  chickens  till  they 
are  hatched,"  was  Sydney's  sage  advice.  "  If 
we're  all  agreed  upon  the  machine,  that's  an 
object  to  work  for.  We  can  talk  about  the  silver 
medals  afterwards." 

"  There's  one  thing  I've  thought  about,"  said 
Laura,  with  a  more  hesitating  manner  than  she 
usually  displayed  in  expressing  her  thoughts. 
"I've  never  said  anything  in  the  society,  be- 
cause I  suppose  it  is  ridiculous  and  impossible, 


IIO      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REPRESSED. 

and  perhaps  some  of  you  wouldn't  think  it  worth 
while,  even  if  we  could  manage  it." 

"  What  is  it,  though?  tell  us,"  they  asked,  cu- 
riously. 

"  I  know,"  said  Sydney,  teasingly,  "  and  it's  all 
nonsense.  Now,  Laura,  what  is  the  use  of  being 
romantic  ?  " 

"  You  be  still,  Syd,"  she  retorted.  "  Mamma 
doesn't  think  it's  nonsense ;  she  thinks  —  O, 
here  comes  mamma  herself!  Now  we'll  ask 
her." 

Mrs.  Guilford  was  standing  at  the  door,  with 
little  Archie  beside  her,  hiding  his  face  shyly  in 
her  dress.  Some  of  the  girls  ran  to  kiss  him, 
and  coax  him  in ;  others  sprang  .up  to  offer  ther 
pleasantest  seats  in  the  room  to  his  mother. 
She  was  always  a  welcome  visitor  in  the  soci- 
ety, and  she  never  "wore  her  welcome  out"  by 
staying  too  long,  or  interfering,  except  by  their 
own  desire,  in  any  of  their  arrangements  or 
councils.  She  was  ready  to  give  assistance  or 
advice  whenever  it  was  wished  ;  but  she  thought 
it  best,  in  general,  to  let  them  develop  their  own 
ideas  of  self-government. 

"What  is  it  I  am  to  be  asked?"  she  said, 
when  the  little  bustle  of  her  entrance  had  sub- 


LAURAS    IDEA.  Ill 

sided.  "  I  came  in  to  see  what  made  you  all 
so  quiet." 

"  It's  about  Janie  Russell,"  Laura  answered. 
"  You  know  what  we  were  talking  last  night, 
mamma  —  and  Sydney  says  it's  all  nonsense; 
but  is  it,  now,  really  ? " 

"  Not  that,  exactly,  but  hardly  practicable, 
I'm  afraid.  What  does  'Ambo'  say  to  it?" 

"We  don't  know  what  it  is  yet,"  said  several 
of  the  girls  together. 

"  Why  don't  you  tell  them,  then  ?  "  asked  Mrs. 
Guilford.  "  It  is  your  own  idea,  and  not  a  silly 
one  at  all.  Perhaps,  if  you  all  agreed  upon  it, 
it  might  be  accomplished,  after  all." 

So  Laura  explained,  that  Janie  Russell  —  the 
lame  girl  that  lived  with  her  old  grandmother 
down  by  the  railroad  —  had  shown  her  one  day 
a  quantity  of  drawings,  all  by  her  own  hand. 
Some  were  in  charcoal,  some  were  in  ink,  some 
were  in  pencil,  and  they  were  on  the  merest 
odds  and  ends  of  paper  —  old  letter-backs,  old 
fly-leaves  of  books,  wrapping-paper,  anything  she 
could  pick  up.  But  Laura  knew  enough  about 
drawing  to  see  that  they  were  not  bad  at  all ; 
that  they  were  very  good,  indeed,  in  spite  of  the 
rough  materials,  and  especially  considering  that 


112       A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HAI.F  REDRESSED. 

nobody  had  ever  taught  Janie  a  single  rule  of 
the  art.  She  brought  home  some  of  the  sketches, 
and  showed  them  to  her  mother,  and  aftei^wards 
to  Miss  Gurney,  and  found  her  own  opinion  of 
their  merits  promptly  confirmed  by  bpth.  Miss 
Gurney  said  there  was  no  doubt  that  Janie  hud 
real  talent,  which  might  be  improved  to  very 
good  purpose,  if  she  only  had  the  opportunity 
of  instruction. 

So,  upon  this,  Laura  had  built  up  a  castle  in 
the  air :  Janie  was  poor,  and  would  have  to 
work  for  her  living ;  but  she  was  lame  and  del- 
icate, and  could  not  go  out  to  sen-ice,  or  do  any 
hard  labor ;  she  could  £ew,  but  that  was  a  poor 
dependence  :  now  suppose  —  only  suppose  — 
that  she  could  be  sent  to  the  "  School  of  De- 
sign," and  become  an  artist!  Laura  had  read 
of  more  surprising  and  less  probable  things  in 
her  "  Anecdotes  of  Painters."  But  there  was 
one  great  difficulty  —  the  expense  of  the  under- 
taking. There  was  the  School  of  Design  at  the 
Cooper  Institute  with  all  its  advantages  and  op- 
portunities free  to  her ;  but  to  avail  herself  of 
them,  Janie  must  live  in  New  York ;  and  to  live 
in  New  York,  to  be  lodged,  and  fed,  and  clothed, 


LAURAS    IDEA.  113 

and  taken  care  of  respectably,  would  require  a 
large  sum  of  money,  year  after  year. 

"  Of  course  it's  no  use,"  Laura  said,  when  she 
had  explained  the  matter  to  her  companions. 
"  But  still  I  couldn't  help  wishing*  that  we  might 
make  enough  by  our  fair,  and  you  might  all 
agree  to  it,  and  poor  Janie  might  have  a 
chance !  " 

"And  I  don't  see  why  she  mightn't,  for  my 
part !  "  cried  Alice,  who  had  listened  with  great 
interest.  She  was  very  fond  of  drawing,  and 
had  some  little  artistic  dreams  of  her  own. 

"  It  seems  to  be  a  mighty  matter  on  the 
whole,"  Mrs.  Guilford  put  in,  laughingly,  "  and 
I  am  afraid  will  prove  beyond  your  means, 
Laura." 

"  Like  Captain  Jinks's  '  corn  and  beans,'  said 
Sydney.  "  Of  course  it  will ;  and  I  vote  for  Mrs. 
Riley  and  the  sewing  machine.  I  give  you  warn- 
ing, Laura  :  the  proceeds  of  my  industry  shall 
not  be  diverted  from  their  legitimate  channel," 
he  added,  pompously. 

"When  did  you  swallow  the  dictionary?" 
Laura  retorted,  a  little  vexed  at  his  opposition. 

"And  where  does  the  industry  come  in?" 
8 


114      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

asked  Alice,  saucily.  "  Has  anybody  seen  it 
this  afternoon?" 

"  We  might  manage  to  do  without  the  pro- 
ceeds, according  to  present  appearances,"  Carrie 
chimed  in.  And  the  laugh  turned  against  Mas- 
ter Syd,  who,  so  far,  had  certainly  not  enriched 
the  society  much  by  his  labor. 

"What  do  you  think  it  would  cost?"  asked 
Elsie,  who  had  been  pondering  the  matter  -in 
thoughtful  silence. 

"  Three  hundred  dollars  at  least,"  said  Mrs. 
Guilford ;  "  perhaps  more,  the  first  year." 

"And  it  would  have  to  be  paid  every  year, 
of  course?" 

"  Well,  we  could  have  a  fair  every  year," 
Laura  put  in,  hastily,  afraid  of  Elsie's  veto. 
"  Three  hundred  dollars  isn't  so  awful,  with  a 
whole  year  to  earn  it  in.  And  only  think,  Elsie, 
how  splendid  it  would  be  if  Janie  should  turn 
out  a  real  artist,  like  Rosa  Bonheur,  and  Miss 
yosmer,  and  Miss  —  " 

"  That's  all  you  know  !  "  interrupted  Sydney, 
derisively.  "  Miss  Hosmer  doesn't  paint  pictures 
at  all.  She's  a  sculptress." 

*'  I  don't  care ;    it's  all  the  same ;    and  you 


LAURA'S  IDEA.  115 

can  just  stop  making  yourself  so  disagreeable, 
Sydney." 

Laura  turned  round  upon  him  with  a  height- 
ened color  and  a  sharper  tone  in  her  voice  than 
usual.  She  had  worked  herself  up  into  a  real 
excitement,  and  it  was  provoking  to  have  Syd- 
ney setting  himself  against  her  wishes,  and 
"  making  fun  of  her,"  as  she  considered. 

-It  was  nothing  but  fun,  in  reality,  for  he  did 
not  care  at  all  how  the  fair-money  was  appro- 
priated, and  he  looked  up  in  surprise  at  her 
vexed  face. 

"  I  guess  I'll  clear  out  of  this,"  he  observed, 
dryly.  "  It's  getting  too  hot  for  my  complexion. 
Wouldn't  you  like  some  crab-apples,  Charlie, 
just  by  way  of  a  change,  you  know?" 

And  with  this  sarcastic  speech  he  marched 
out  'of  the  parlor,  followed  readily  by  Charlie 
Cox,  who  was  getting  tired  of  sorting  beads  and 
winding  worsteds. 

Laura  felt  rather  ashamed  of  herself  as  she 
saw  them  go,  and  met  her  mother's  reproach- 
ful glance  in  addition.  But  she  was  in  a  "  crab- 
apple  mood,"  and  didn't  choose  to  make  any 
concessions. 

"  I  don't  care  if  they  do  -go  ;  they've  tormented 


Il6      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

us  enough,  any  way.  Haven't  they,  Susie?" 
was  her  pettish  comment  upon  their  secession. 
"  We  can  settle  our  affairs  now  without  being 
interrupted  so  often." 

"  Yes,  we  can.  And  do,  please,  Frank,  see 
if  you  can't  be  quiet,"  added  Gertie,  addressing 
her  brother  with  unnecessary  emphasis.  He  had 
been  sorting  Susie's  beads  with  praiseworthy 
diligence,  and  had  not  been  heard  to  speak  for 
ten  minutes  at  least.  It  was  insulting,  there- 
fore, to  be  desired  to  "  keep  quiet "  in  that 
public  manner,  and  "  the  honorary "  resented  it 
accordingly. 

"  I  beg  permission  to  retire,  Mr.  President," 
he  exclaimed,  jumping  up  hastily,  and  upsetting 
the  whole  box  of  beads  by  a  mischievous  acci- 
dent as  he  did  so.  "  I  can't  stay  to  be  insulted, 
and  I  shall  take  the  liberty  of  joining  my  hon- 
orable brethren  outside.  You  can  pick  up  the 
beads,  Gertie,  after  I'm  gone,"  he  added,  pro- 
vokingly  ;  and  'with  a  saucy  bow  to  Laura,  he 
darted  through  the  open  window,  and  joined 
Sydney  and  Charlie  on  the  lawn. 

"  It's  a  good  riddance  of  them  all,"  said  Car- 
rie. "  Boys  are  a  nuisance,  in  my  opinion." 

But   Susie   set    up   a   wail   about    her    beads 


LAURA'S  IDEA.  117 

that  were  rolling  hopelessly  about  the  floor, 
half  of  them  irrecoverable ;  and  Laura  could 
not  feel  comfortable,  watching  the  grave  look 
upon  her  mother's  face,  and  knowing  she  had 
brought  it  there. 


II 8      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 


CHAPTER    VII. 

THE   WRONG   PROPOSED. 

OUT  of  doors  the  boys  were  amusing  them- 
selves with  swinging  in  the  crab  ti'ee,  and 
pelting  each  other  with  the  little,  rosy,  bitter- 
sweet apples  that  were  just  ripening. 

"  How  they  pucker  up  your  mouth !  "  said 
Charlie,  biting  into  one  ;  "  I  wonder  if  they  don't 
taste  like  persimmons?  " 

"  Not  a  bit,"  said  Frank.  "  Didn't  you  ever 
see  persimmons?  They're  little,  soft,  wrinkled- 
np,  greenish-yellow  things,  more  like  a  plum 
than  an  apple.  They  have  a  stone  inside,  and 
when  they're  real  ripe  they're  jolly.  But  you 
bite  into  a  green  one,  and  won't  it  button  your 
tongue  up,  though  !  " 

"  Talking  of  plums,"  exclaimed  Charlie,  — 
"  didn't  we  have  fun  last  summer,  Frank,  hook- 
ing greengages  out  of  old  Van  Wyck's  orchard  ?  " 

"  I  guess  we  did,"  was  the  prompt  answer. 


THE    WRONG    PROPOSED.  .    119 

"  Don't  you  wish  we  had  as  good  a  chance  this 
summer?  A 

"  Perhaps  we  have,"  said  Charlie,  signifi- 
cantly. 

"  Well,  I  can't  see  it,"  Frank  retorted.  "  The 
place  is  sold  now,  and  the  old  fellow  that  bought 
it  keeps  a  dog.  I  wouldn't  like  to  have  him  fly- 
ing at  my  legs." 

"  I  guess  I  could  manage  that,  if  I  tried," 
Charlie  answered,  looking  wise.  "  The  dog 
stays  around  the  house,  and  the  orchard  is  off  at 
a  distance." 

"  But  you  have  to  go  through  the  grounds,  and 
past  the  house,  to  get  to  the  orchard,"  persisted 
Frank.  "  And  wouldn't  the  dog  hear  you,  I'd 
like  to  know?" 

"  Suppose  I  didn't  go  through  the  grounds  at 
all?"  asked  Charlie.  "Suppose  I  climbed  the 
orchard  fence  ?  " 

"  With  all  those  sharp  spikes  on  top?  I'd  like 
to  see  you  !  " 

"  And  I'd  like  to  know  what  you're  driving  at," 
Sydney  put  in.  "  You  talk  exactly  as  if  you 
meant  to  rob  that  orchard,  Charlie  !  " 

"  WTell,  what  if  I  do  ?  "  Charlie  returned,  with 
a  rather  confused  laugfh.  "  Where's  the  harm  of 


I2O      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

taking  a  pocket  full  of  plums  from  such  a  stingy 
old  chap?" 

"  It's  stealing ;   that's  all,"  said  Sydney,  coolly. 

"  Nonsense  !  "  exclaimed  the  other  two  in  a 
breath.  "  That's  all  humbug,  Syd,"  Frank  add- 
ed. "  It  can't  be  stealing  to  take  what  nobody 
misses,  and  it's  such  a  jolly  lark.  Why,  all  the 
boys  do  it  when  they  get  a  chance.  You  don't 
know  what  fun  we  used  to  have  last  summer." 

"•  You  ought  to  hear  Joe  Bingham,  and  some 
of  the  other  fellows  up  at  the  Academy,  tell  about 
their  adventures,"  put  in  Charlie.  "  You  remem- 
ber, Frank,  the  night  they  went  after  water- 
melons, and  hid  them  in  the  haystack?  They 
got  locked  out,  of  course,  and  the  fellow  that 
was  inside,  and  promised  to  open  the  door  for 
them,  went  off  to  bed,  and  cheated  them.  So 
they  had  to  climb  up  the  lightning-rod,  and 
nearly  broke  their  necks  getting  in  at  a  window." 

"  What  fun  that  must  have  been  !  "  said  Syd- 
ney, sarcastically. 

"  Well,  it  was,"  persisted  Charlie.  "  It's  the 
best  sort  of  a  lark  when  there's  a  little  danger 
in  it,  and  you  know  it,  Syd  ;  so  don't  be  dis- 
agreeable." 

There  was  a  truth  in  this  which  Sydney  could 


THE    WRONG    PROPOSED.  121 

not  deny.  He  liked  the  excitement  of  "  a  little 
danger  "  as  well  as  the  others,  and  as  they  went 
on  rehearsing  various  other  "  jolly  scrapes  "  of 
Joe  Bingham  and  his  set  at  the  Academy,  his 
ideas  of  right  and 'wrong  began  to  grow  indis- 
tinct, and  his  heart  to  thrill  with  an  emulous  de- 
sire. Charlie  Cox  was  quick  to  see  the  change 
and  take  advantage  of  it.  He  was  not  a  bad 
boy,  and  would  not  have  done  anything  that  he 
considered  really  dishonest  for  the  world ;  but 
he  had  the  usual  school-boy  obliquity  in  the 
matter  of  fruit.  "  It  was  no  harm  "  to  take  a 
pocket  full  of  plums,  —  though  the  "  pocket " 
held  a  peck  sometimes,  —  or  to  carry  off  a  ripe 
watermelon  which  he  had  never  planted.  It  was 
"just  fun"  to  trick  the  owners,  and  escape  the 
clogs,  and  deceive  teachers  and  parents,  and  risk 
one's  life  and  limb,  climbing  trees,  and  jumping 
out  of  windows,  and  "  shinning  up  "  lightning- 
rods  in  the  dark.  It's  the  school-boy  theory  that 
fruit  is  common  property,  or,  if  it  isn't,  it  ought 
to  be ;  and  Charlie  Cox,  having  accepted  this 
theory  fully  for  himself,  saw  no  wrong  in  per- 
suading Sydney  to  act  upon  it  with  him. 

That  Sydney  allowed  himself  to  be  persuaded 
was  more  surprising ;  for  he  had  certainly  been 


122      A  WROXG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

taught  a  very  opposite  doctrine  at  home.  But 
there  were  two  against  one,  to  say  nothing  of  his 
own  inclination  taking  part  with  his  tempters ; 
and  it  ended  in  his  agreeing  to  join  the  boys  in 
an  unlawful  raid  upon  Colbnel  Schuyler's  or- 
chard, to  take  place  as  soon  as  a  certain  tree  of 
fine  egg  plums,  well  known  to  Frank  and  Char- 
lie, should  be  fully  ripe  for  plunder. 

Up  stairs,  in  Sydney's  drawer,  carefully  wrapped 
in  soft  paper,  lay  a  dainty  little  handkerchief  with 
a  lace  border,  and  "  Violet"  worked  in  the  corner. 
Sydney  had  "  advertised  "  it  in  the  post-office, 
and  made  various  efforts  to  find  the  owner ;  but 
nobody  had  come  forward  to  claim  it,  and,  thanks 
to  Colonel  Schuyler's  exclusive  ideas,  his  pretty 
little  granddaughter  was  as  much  a  stranger  to 
the  Englewood  boys  and  girls  as  on  the  day  when 
she  peeped  at  them  through  the  brier  bushes,  and 
lost  her  handkerchief  in  the  cemetery.  Sydney 
had  seen  her  once  ;  she  rode  past  him  one  day  on 
Tarn  O'Shanter,  and  he  had  stared  after  her  with 
open-eyed  admiration  of  her  sweet  face  and  gold- 
en hair,  and  her  graceful,  fearless  riding.  But 
he  never  dreamed  that  this  was  "  Violet,"  whose 
little  handkerchief  he  kept  so  carefully,  any 
more  than  he  knew  now  that  it  was  Violet's 


THE    WRONG    PROPOSED.  123 

grandfather  whose  plums  he  meant  to  pilfer. 
If  he  had  but  guessed  how  he  should  find  it 
out! 

The  tea-bell  rang  by  the  time  they  had  ar- 
ranged their  plan,  and  a  troop  of  the  girls  came 
running  out  to  bring  in  the  deserters.  Laura 
was  foremost  of  them,  and  anxious  to  "  make 
up "  with  Sydney.  She  had  succeeded  in  get- 
ting the  Society's  verdict  in  Janie's  favor,  so 
far,  at  least,  as  to  have  the  final  decision  left 
in  Mrs.  Guilford's  hands.  The  proceeds  of  the 
fair  were  to  be  brought  to  her,  and  she  was  to 
decide  whether  there  was  enough  to  justify  the 
attempt,  and,  if  so,  she  had  promised  to  find 
other  ways  and  means  of  carrying  out,  or  help- 
ing them  to  carry  out,  what  they  had .  begun. 
This  was  even  more  than  Laura  had  hoped  to 
accomplish  ;  so  she  was  in  high  good  humor  with 
everybody,  and  ready  to  apologize,  in  her  fashion, 
for  her  momentary  crossness. 

Her  fashion  was  a  little  peculiar.  "  I  sup- 
pose you  mean  to  beg  my  pardon  now,  Syd," 
she  began,  saucily,  as  the  boys  came  forward 
to  meet  her.  "  But  you  needn't  say  another 
word  about  it.  I  know  you're  sorry,  and  I've 
made  up  my  mind  to  forgive  you." 


124      A  WRONG  CONFESSED   IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

"  All  right,"  Sydney  returned,  magnanimously. 
"  I  accept  with  thanks." 

"  Then  kiss  me,  and  never  aggravate  me  again," 
she  commanded,  imperiously,  putting  up  her 
round  cheek  to  his  lips.  "  And  now  all  of 
you  come  in  to  supper  before  the  waffles  get 
cold." 

"  I  should  like  to  pepper  Frank's  with  the 
beads  he  spilled,"  said  Susie,  spitefully,  as  they 
went  in.  But  happily  for  his  digestion,  she 
did  not  try  to  carry  out  her  amiable  wish.  The 
waffles  were  hot  and  crisp,  the  cut  peaches, 
melting  in  golden  cream,  were  delicious,  and 
the  boys'  appetites  were  not  in  the  least  spoiled 
by  any  sense  of  their  misdemeanors,  past  or 
to  be.- 

Sydney,  it  is  true,  had  an  uneasy  conscious- 
ness that  he  had  consented  to  something  wrong. 
He  knew  his  father's  straightforward,  uncom- 
promising honesty,  his  mother's  clear  ideas  of 
truth  and  ho:ior,  so  often  impressed  upon  him. 
The  thought  of  how  they  would  feel  towards 
him  if  they  knew  what  he  was  going  to  do, 
came  across  him,  with  rather  a  sickening  sensa- 
tion, in  the  midst  cf  all  the  merriment  going 


THE    WRONG    PROPOSED.  125 

on  at  the  supper-table.  The  doctor  was  in 
one  of  his  most  genial  moods,  telling  stories 
and  making  funny  speeches,  that  kept  the  girls 
in  a  gale  of  laughter  and  amusement ;  Mrs. 
.Guilford  was  pouring  out  innumerable  cups  of 
tea,  and  keeping  everybody's  plate  replenished, 
yet  found  time  to  entertain  the  boys  most  agree- 
ably still.  She  knew  exactly  how  to  talk  to 
them,  and  Charlie  and  Frank  both  admired  her 
immensely,  as  a  woman  that  was  willing  "  to 
talk  sense  to  a  fellow."  Sydney  admired  her, 
too,  but  he  could  not  take  his  usual  enjoyment 
in  her  conversation. 

"  Suppose  we  do  steal  those  plums,  and  she 
ever  finds  it  out  —  what  will  she  say  to  me  ?  " 
was  the  uncomfortable  question  that  kept  putting 
itself  in  his  way. 

Why  didn't  he  give  it  up  at  once,  if  he  re- 
pented so  soon?  is  a  question  we  might  ask 
here.  But  everybody's  experience  goes  to  prove 
that  people  constantly  do  things  which  they 
know  to  be  wrong,  against  their  conscience  and 
almost  against  their  will,  simply  because  they 
have  promised.  In  the  school-boy  code  it  was 
dishonorable  "  for  a  fellow  to  go  back  on  his 


126      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

•word ; "  and  Sydney,  though  he  really  wished 
already  that  he  had  not  made  a  rash  promise, 
and  dreaded  more  than  he  would  have  ac- 
knowledged its  possibly  painful  consequences, 
had  still  no  idea  of  escaping  them  by  break^ 
ing:  it. 


IN    THE   ORCHARD.  127 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

IN   THE    ORCHARD. 

IT  was  a  moonlight  night  that  was  fixed  upon 
for  the  unlawful  excursion  ;  but  it  had  been 
a  dull,  sunless  day,  and  the  moon  sailed  under  a 
mist  that  made  her  rays  very  dim  and  uncertain. 
Sydney  was  thankful  for  it,  as  he  sat  by  the  win- 
dow of  his  room  waiting  for  his  father  to  come 
up  to  bed  before  he  could  slip  out  to  join  Frank 
and  Charlie.  He  was  supposed  to  be  in  bed 
himself,  having  said  good  night  to  his  mother 
and  Laura  half  an  hour  ago  ;  Laura  was  ah'eady 
asleep  in  the  next  room,  his  mother  was  in  her 
chamber,  the  servants  had  gone  up  stairs,  and  the 
way  was  all  clear  except  for  his  father. 

But  Dr.  Guilford  seemed  to  have  no  intention 
of  retiring  early  that  night.  Sydney  waited,  in 
weariness  and  impatience.  He  dared  not  lie 
down,  lest  he  should  go  to  sleep ;  he  could  not 
light  his  candle  again,  because  his  mother  would 


I2cS       A  WRONG  CON'FKSSKD   IS  HALF  RKDRESSED. 

see  the  light  under  the  door,  and  come  in  to  see 
what  was  the  matter ;  he  could  not  read,  or  move 
about,  and  there  was  nothing  to  do  but  sit  still 
and  watch  the  misty  moonlight,  and  listen  for 
his  father's  upward  step,  which  was  so  long  in 
coming. 

It  was  tiresome  enough  ;  but  the  longest  watch 
must  come  to  an  end  some  time,  and  this  did  at 
last.  The  doctor  finished  his  writing,  turned  out 
the  lights,  and  came  up  stairs,  passing  Sydney's 
door  with  no  suspicion  of  the  eager  listener  be- 
hind it.  lie  had  no  sooner  closed  his  own,  than 
Sydney  stole  silently  out,  and  crept  down  stairs, 
tiptoe,  with  his  shoes  in  his  hands.  The  back 
door  was  easily  opened  ;  its  bolts  slipped  aside 
noiselessly,  having  been  touched  with  a  feather- 
tip  and  a  little  oil  by  way  of  preparation,  and 
he  closed  it  softly  behind  him,  and  stood  out  of 
doors  at  last,  unseen  by  any  of  the  family.  It 
was  easy  enough  to  cross  the  lawn  in  the  shadow 
of  the  shrubbery,  and  slip  out  of  the  gate ;  and 
round  the  corner,  in  an  empty  lot  that  was 
boarded  in  from  the  street,  he  found  the  boys 
waiting  for  him.  So  far  the  adventure  was  a 
complete  success.  Charlie  and  Frank  were  in 
high  spirits,  and  gave  him  a  jolly  welcome,  and 


IN    THE    ORCHARD.  129 

all  three  started  off  at  once  for  their  up-hill  walk 
to  Colonel  Schuylcr's  orchard. 

It  was  about  half  a  mile  out  of  the  village, 
the  house  arfd  lawn  fronting  on  the  post-road, 
but  the  orchard  lying  back,  and  separated  by  a 
high,  spiked  fence  from  the  meadow  lands  of 
another 'proprietor.  Two  or  three  railed  fences 
lay  between  ;  these  the  boys  leaped  over  easily, 
and  came  at  last,  with  cautious  steps,  to  the  spot 
they  had  marked  out  for  their  operations.  The 
plum  tree  stood  near  the  fence  —  so  near  that  a 
.boy  who  was  light  and  agile  could  swing  him- 
self into  the  branches  without  difficulty,  if  once 
he  had  a  foothold  on  the  fence  itself.  Sydney 
was  a  good  climber,  as  the  others  knew  very 
well ;  it  was  the  'knowledge  of  that  fact  which 
made  them  so  eager  for  his  cooperation,  and  a 
little  vain  consciousness  of  it  also  that  helped  to 
win  Sydney's  consent. 

The  whole  success  of  the  enterprise  depended 
upon  him ;  he  was  to  "  boost "  himself,  with 
Charlie's  help,  upon  Frank's  shoulders,  that  were 
luckily  broad  and  strong,  and  so  scale  the  wall. 
Then,  balancing  his  weight  for  a  moment  upon 
the  top  of  the  fence,  —  there  was  just  room  be- 
9 


I3O      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

tween  the  spikes  for  him  to  plant  his  feet,  —  he 
was  to  swing  oft'  into  the  nearest  tree. 

To  carry  out  such  a  programme  required. some 
courage  "and  skill ;  but  Sydney  proved  himself 
equal  to  the  task.  Charlie  helped  him  up  to  a 
standing  position  on  Frank's  shoulders ;  that 
brought  his  elbows  to  the  top  of  the  wall ;  and 
drawing  up  cautiously  first  one  foot  and  then  the 
other,  holding  on  by  the  spikes,  which  were  luck- 
ily not  sharp,  or  very  close  together,  he  managed 
to  raise .  himself  upon  his  feet,  and  spring  off 
lightly  into  the  tree. 

There  was  a  crash  of  breaking  branches,  a 
great  rustle  of  leaves,  and  flutter  of  frightened 
birds,  who  flew  off  their  nests,  chirping  and 
screaming  at  such  a  sudden  "apparition.  But 
Sydney  was  safe  in  the  midst  of  the  tree,  his 
feet  firm  on  a  strong  limb,  and  great  mellow 
plums,  ripe  and  golden,  hanging  thickly  all 
about  him. 

The  boys  outside  were  more  frightened  than 
he.  To  their  startled  ears  the  crashing  stems 
and  twigs  made  noise  enough  to  wake  the  house- 
hold ;  and  they  held  their  breath  in  terror  for 
a  moment,  expecting  to  hear  the  growl  and  rush 


IN    THE    ORCHARD.  131 

of   the   fierce   dog   that    lay   unchained    in    his 
kennej. 

All  was  quiet,  though,  and  Charlie  ventured  to 
call  out  presently,  in  a  smothered  voice, — 

"  Are  you  there,  Syd,  all  right  ?  " 

"  All  right,"  Sydney  returned,  promptly  and 
cheerfully,  "  and  bushels  of  plums  !  " 

"  Bully  for  you  \  "  whispered  Frank,  excitedly. 
"  Shovel  'em  in,  Syd,  fast  as  you  can.  Got  your 
bag  safe  ?  " 

"  Guess  I  have.     Hear  the  plums  rattle  in?  " 

"  O,  don't  talk  so  loud !  "  exclaimed  Charlie, 
who  was  not  so  bold  now  as  he  had  been  before. 
"There's  that  dog,  you  know;  don't  let  him 
hear  you  for  the  world." 

"  Pooh  !  who's  afraid  ?  "  Sydney  answered, 
boastfully,  tossing  a  plum  over  the  fence.  He 
was  elated  with  success,  and  a  reckless  excite- 
ment had  taken  the  place  of  his  previous  doubts 
and  fears.  He  leaped  about,  like  a  monkey,  from 
one  branch  to  another,  stripping  off  the  fruit  by 
handfuls,  and  stuffing  it  into  the  bag,  which  filled 
up  rapidly.  Now  and  then  half  a  dozen  big 
plums  would  coaie  rattling  over  the  fence,  and 
Frank  and  Charlie  would  scramble  after  them, 
though  trembling  with  fear  lest  the  noise  should 


132   A   WRONG   CONFESSED    IS    HALF   REDRESSED. 

betray  them.  Charlie  kept  entreating  him,  in 
anxious  whispers,  to  be  careful ;  but  in  his  ex- 
citement Sydney  paid  little  heed  to  the  prudent 
caution. 

"  I  don't  believe  there's  any  dog  at  all,"  he 
whispered  back.  "  If  there  is,  he's  too  far  oft' 
to  hear  me  ;  and,  any  way,  I'm  not  afraid  of  him. 
I'll  tell  you  what,  boys  :  I  shan't  leave  this  orchard 
without  some  pears,  too  ;  I  see  some  splendid 
ones  a  little  way  off." 

"Ain't  he  plucky?"  said  Frank,  admiringly. 
"  Go  in  for  the  Bartletts,  Syd,  by  all  means. 
/  won't  tell  the  old  colonel  who  robbed  his 
orchard." 

"  You  ought  not  to  encourage  him,  Frank," 
said  Charlie,  reproachfully.  "  You're  outside, 
and  you  can  run  if  anything  happens.  But  sup- 
pose that  dog  flies  at  him  there  —  what  can 
he  do?" 

"  Seems  to  me  you've  grown  very  anxious 
lately,"  Frank  retorted,  rather  contemptuously. 
"  You  were  very  eager  to  get  Syd  into  it,  and 
now  you're  doing  your  best  to  scare  him  out." 

'•  I  don't  want  him  to  get  into  danger,"  was 
Charlie's  answer ;  "  and  he  will  if  he  goes 
cruising  round  the  orchard.  Somebody'll  be 


IN   THE    ORCHARD.  133 

sure  to  see  him,  and  then  there'll  be  a  pretty 
kettle  o'  fish." 

"  You  let  him  alone.  Syd's  no  fool,"  Frank 
responded,  coolly.  Being  in  a  perfectly  safe 
place  himself,  he  could  afford  to  have  confidence 
in  Syd's  wisdom  ;  but  Charlie  could  not  be  quite 
so  selfish  or  indifferent,  He  made  another  effort 
to  prevent  the  rashness  of  going  farther  into  the 
orchard. 

"  We  don't  want  the  pears  —  haven't  you  got 
a  bag  full  of  plums  ?  Tie  it  up  and  throw  it 
over  the  fenge,  Syd,  and  then  come  out  yourself. 
You've  done  enough  for  to-night,  old  fellow,"  he 
whispered,  earnestly. 

But  Sydney  was  obstinate  and  defiant  of  con- 
sequences. He  could  see  the  fine  large  pears 
hanging  thick  on  several  trees  not  far  off,  for  the 
clouds  were  drifting  away  from  the  moon,  and  a 
soft,  clear  light  was  increasing.  It  showed  him 
treasures  of  ripe  fruit,  —  peaches  and  apricots, 
as  well  as  pears  and  plums,  —  gleaming  out  from 
the  dark  foliage  ;  and  having  "  got  his  hand  in," 
as  he  said  to  himself,  he  was  determined  to  select 
a  few  specimens  of  each  kind  before  he  left  the 
orchard.  So  he  swung  himself  down  to  the 
ground,  regardless  of  Charlie's  remonstrances, 


134      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

and,  with  his  bag  over  his  shoulder,  stole  lightly 
on  from  tree  to  tree,  plucking  everything  within 
reach  of  his  arm. 

The  bag  was  soon  full,  to  its  utmost  capacity. 
But  even  then  he  was  not  satisfied.  Clusters  of 
tempting  nectarines  hung  over  his  head,  mellow 
apples  dotted  the  grass  at  his  feet ;  and  the  rapa- 
cious spirit  which  had  suddenly  taken  possession 
of  him,  made  him  greedy  of  everything.  He 
stuffed  his  pockets,  jacket,  and  trousers ;  he 
took  off  his  hat  and  filled  that ;  and  at  last  he 
started  back  to  the  fence,  having  no  room  for 
anything  more,  to  throw  his  plunder  over  to  his 
accomplices. 

He  found  on  the  way,  however,  as  other  rob- 
bers have  done  before  him,  that  he  had  taken  too 
much  for  his  own  comfort.  The  bag  was  heavy, 
and  required  both  hands  ;  so  he  had  to  put  the 
hat  down  and  leave  it  till  he  should  come  back. 
He  left  it  in  a  safe  place,  never  thinking  of  any 
difficulty  in  finding  it  again,  and  hurried  on  to 
the  fence  with  his  bag.  By  this  time  even  Frank 
was  getting  impatient  to  be  gone. 

u  Come,  Syd,  hurry  up,"  he  cried.  "  You've 
got  enough,  and  it's  time  we  were  home.  Throw 


IN    THE    ORCHARD.  135 

us  the  plunder,  and  then  scramble  over  your- 
self." 

"  Yes,  do,"  Charlie  added,  urgently.  "  And 
be  careful  about  the  spikes,  Syd.  If  you  once 
get  back  without  breaking  your  neck,  I  shall  be 
thankful." 

"  Never  you  fear,"  Sydney  laughed.  "  I've  no 
intention  of  breaking  my  neck,  and  I've  had  a 
real  jolly  time.  Sorry  for  you  fellows  over 
there  that  haven't  had  any  fun  !  " 

"  Better  not  laugh  till  you're  out  of  the  woods," 
Frank  advised.  "  We're  on  the  safe  side,  at 
any  rate." 

"  Heave  that  bag  over,  and  stop  your  gabble," 
put  in  Charlie,  impatiently. 

"  Look  out,  then  —  here  goes  !  "  and  Sydney 
tossed  it  up  with  all  his  strength.  It  cleared 
the  spikes,  and  fell  with  a  dull  thud  into  the 
arms  that  were  eagerly  extended  to  catch  it  on 
the  other  side. 

"  Now  it's  your  turn,"  cried  Charlie,  eagerly. 
"  Swing  over,  Syd,  and  let's  go  home.  What  a 
jolly  lot  of  fruit !  " 

"  That  isn't  all,  either,"  Sydney  returned,  tri- 
umphantly. "-I've  left  a  hat  full  behind  me  up 
in  the  orchard." 


136   A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

"  Never  mind  that,"  said  Charlie,  hastily ; 
"  we've  got  enough  without  it.  Don't  go  back 
again,  Syd,  whatever  you  do.  I  think  I  hear 
that  dog !  " 

"  Nonsense !  There  isn't  any  dog,"  was  the 
careless  answer. 

"  Don't  be  a  fool,"  Charlie  exclaimed,  angrily. 
"  I  tell  you  there  is  a  dog,  and  a  fierce  one,  too. 
If  you  don't  come  out,  I'll  go  and  leave  you, 
Syd,  I  declare  I  will." 

"  Well,  you'd  better,"  Sydney  retorted.  "  That 
would  be  an  honorable  proceeding  on  your 
part." 

"  Why  don't  you  come,  then?  You're  enough 
to  tiy  the  patience  of  Job  !  " 

"  I've  left  my  hat  in  the  orchard.  I've  got  to 
go  back  for  it,  unless  you  want  me  to  go  home 
bareheaded." 

"  O,  good  gracious !  "  Charlie  groaned  with 
impatience  and  vexation.  "  We'll  all  come  to 
grief  yet,  I  know  it.  Why  couldn't  he  be  satis- 
fied with  such  a  bag  full  ?  " 

"  Don't  be  such  a  muff",  Charlie,"  Frank  put 
in,  rather  scornfully.  "  You've  badgered  Syd 
the  whole  time,  and  I  think  he's  done  splendidly, 


IN  THE  ORCHARD.  137 

for  my  part.  There's  no  such  desperate  hurry  to 
get  home,  after  all ;  let  him  alone." 

And  Frank  seated  himself  on  the  ground,-  and 
began  to  eat  a  pear  with  cool  unconcern.  He 
wondered  at  Charlie's  nervousness  ;  but  Charlie 
could  not  get  over  an  instinctive  dreadf  that  had 
possessed  him  all  the  time,  of  trouble  ahead  for 
Sydney.  He  felt  more  acutely  than  Frank  the 
responsibility  of  having  persuaded  him  into  join- 
ing them ;  and  he  could  not  help  reproaching 
himself  for  putting  him  foremost  to  take  all  the 
risks,  while  he  and  Frank  remained  in  compara- 
tive safety.  It  was  the  sting  of  this  conscious- 
ness which  made  him  so  anxious,  and  prevented 
the  possibility  of  any  peace  of  mind  until  Syd- 
ney was  outside  again.  Instead  of  sitting  down 
to  eat  fruit,  as  Frank  did,  he  wandered  restlessly 
to  and  fro,  starting  at  every  sound,  and  muttering 
impatient  exclamations  under  his  breath. 

Sydney,  meanwhile,  went  hastily  back  to  look 
for  his  hat.  He  had  set  it  very  carefully  on  the 
forked  branch  of  a  young  pear  tree,  the  last  one 
from  which  he  had  gathered  fruit.  But.,  through 
some  curious  forgetfulncss,  or  nervousness  (for 
Charlie's  anxiety  had  begun  to  affect  him),  he 
imagined  that  he  had  left  it  on  the  ground,  and 


138      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

went  poking  about  with  his  eyes  at  his  feet,  look- 
ing vainly  for  a  thing  that  was  on  a  level  with 
his  head.  The  moon  began  to  grow  dim  again, 
to  increase  his  perplexity ;  a  slow-moving  cloud 
sailed  over  her  fair  face,  and  darkened  it  so 
effectually  that  he  could  no  longer  distinguish 
objects  with  any  clearness.  He  was  surrounded 
with  a  bower  of  foliage,  but  he  could  not  pick 
out  the  different  trees  which  had  guided  him  in 
some  sort  before ;  he  could  not  even  see  the 
fence  behind  which  his  companions  waited,  and 
so  could  not  tell  whether,  in  his  blind  groping 
about,  he  was  keeping  near  them,  or  going 
towards  the  unsafe  neighborhood  of  the  house 
and  garden. 

He  had  not  the  least  desire  to  prove  his  bravery 
by  doing  that ;  but  as  it  generally  happens  that 
when  people  get  bewildered  they  go  in  the  direc- 
tion exactly  opposite  to  the  one  they  wish  and 
intend, .  so  it  happened  in  this  case.  Sydney 
groped  around,  getting  more  and  more  bewil- 
dered and  uncertain,  and  more  and  more  anxious 
about  his  hat,  which  had  disappeared  so  un- 
accountably, and  with  every  step  went  farther 
away,  not  only  from  the  hat,  but  from  his  friends. 
Outside,  Charlie  was  fuming  and  fretting,  and 


IN    THE    ORCHARD.  139 

even  Frank  beginning  to  fidget  at  the  long  delay  ; 
inside,  Sydney  was  inarching  unconsciously  right 
into  the  dog's  teeth. 

The  cloud-bank  broke  up  suddenly,  and  a 
bright  ray  shot  out  from  the  gloom.  It  lighted 
up  not  only  the  shadowy  orchard :  the  soft,  fair 
radiance  streamed  over  a  spacious  garden,  a 
broad  lawn,  a  stately  stone  mansion,  and  all 
three  were  suddenly  revealed  to  the  boy's  startled 
eyes.  He  found  himself  standing  outside  of  the 
sheltering  trees,  at  the  foot  of  a  smooth  green 
slope,  above  which  spread  out  wide  garden 
alleys,  brilliant  flower-beds,  and  clumps  of  shrub- 
bery ;  and  beyond  these  rose  up  the  many-win- 
dowed, ivy-wreathed  wall  of  the  old  manor- 
house. 

An  involuntary  cry  of  amazement  and  conster- 
natidn  broke  from  his  lips.  It  was  answered  in- 
stantly by  a  low,  thunderous  growl ;  a  huge  black 
dog  sprang  from  his  kennel,  shook  his  shaggy 
sides,  looked  around  him  and  snified  the  air  for 
a  moment,  and  then,  with  long,  swinging  leaps, 
came  bounding  down  the  alley. 

Sydney  stood  as  if  turned  to  stone ;  he  saw 
tho  huge  creature  springing  towards  him,  but  he 
seemed  to  have  lost  the  power  of  motion.  lie 


140      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

knew  that  escape  was  hopeless,  and  with  one 
pitiful  cry  for  help,  he  flung  himself  on  the 
ground,  face  downwards,  just  as  the  faithful 
guardian  of  his  master's  property  leaped  upon 
him. 

What  happened  to  him  then  for  a  minute  or 
two  Sydney  never  knew.  In  his  wild  terror  he 
gave  himself  up  for  lost,  and  as  the  Irishman 
said,  "  he  thought  he  was  kilt  intirely."  He  felt 
the  huge  paws  holding  him  down,  the  savage 
teeth  at  his  throat ;  he  tried  to  gasp  out  a  prayer, 
but  he  could  not  find  the  words,  and  with  a 
despairing  murmur,  "  Mamma,  mamma  !  "  he 
swooned  outright  from  sheer  terror. 


VIOLET   TO   THE    RESCUE. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

VIOLET    TO    THE    RESCUE. 

IF  he  had  not  lost  consciousness  so  suddenly, 
he  would  have  discovered  that  his  cry  for  help 
had  been  heard.  From  one  of  the  upper  win- 
dows of  the  old  house  a  faint  light  was  shining, 
and,  half  encircled  by  the  vines  that  clustered  over 
the  casement,  a  sweet  little  face,  like  a  picture 
set  in  a  rustic  frame,  was  peeping  out  into  the 
moonlight. 

It  was  certainly  long  past  Miss  Violet's  bed- 
time. The  old  clock  in  the  hall  had  struck  the 
half  hour  since  midnight,  and  all  the  lights  in  the 
house  were  out  except  her  own.  Grandpapa  had 
kissed  her  good  night  three  hours  and  a  half  ago, 
and  it  was  full  two  hours  since  he  had  laid  his 
own  head  on  his  pillow.  The  sen-ants  had  all 
gone  to  bed  long  ago.  Mrs.  Bunn  was  so  sound 
asleep  that  she  never  heard  the  mice  nibbling  in 
her  closet,  and  in  Mrs.  Weldon's  room  every  tiling 


142       A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

was  dark  and  quiet.  Why  was  it  that  Violet  was 
keeping  this  midnight  watch,  the  only  wakeful 
spirit  in  the  house  ? 

One  might  have  answered  that  question  by 
looking  into  her  room,  for  beside  the  lamp  upon 
the  table  lay  a  new  book,  open  at  the  last  page. 
Instead  of  going  to  bed  dutifully  when  she  retired 
to  her  chamber,  she  had  taken  up  "  Leslie  Gold- 
thivaite"  —  a  treasure  only  that  day  acquired, — 
and  lost  in  the  fascination  of  that  unequalled  sum- 
mer in  the  White  Mountains,  she  had  kept  no 
account  of  time.  The  hours  flew  unheeded  while 
her  golden  locks  drooped  over  the  delightful 
pages  ;  the  fitful  moonlight  brightened  and  faded 
by  turns,  while  she  watched  with  Leslie  the  glory 
of  sunrise  on  the  mountain-tops,  hunted  "garnet- 
geodes  "  for  "  Gray-wacke,"  and  laughed  over  Sin 
Saxon's  irresistible  "  howl." 

It  was  after  midnight  before  the  last  page  was 
turned,  and  even  then  Violet  Was  not  in  the  least 
sleepy.  Her  thoughts  were  still  running  on  the 
various  scenes  and  characters  of  her  story,  and 
the  moonlight  was  so  bright  now,  and  the  waver- 
ing shadows  of  leaf  and  vine  so  lovely,  that  to  do 
so  stupid  a  thing  as  go  to  bed  was  quite  out 
of  the  question.  It  was  much  more  delightful  to 


VIOLET    TO    THE    RESCUE.  143 

sit  up  in  the  window-seat  and  listen  to  the  katy- 
dids, and  watch  the  fleecy  clouds  with  silver  lin- 
ings that  floated  so  airily  around  the  bonnie  Lady 
Moon. 

So  Violet  turned  her  lamp  down  to  its  smallest 
blue  flame,  and  perched  herself  like  a  fairy  in  the 
ivy-wreathed  window,  laughing  softly  to  herself 
at  the  oddity  of  being  up,  and  dressed,  and  wide 
awake,  at  a  time  when  all  the  world  was  asleep. 
A  shadowy  misgiving  crossed  her  mind  that 
grandpapa  might  not  approve  of  such  a  vigil, 
and  would  probably  send  her  to  her  pillow  at 
once  if  he  could  see  her.  Conscience  vaguely 
suggested  that  if  this  was  the  case,  she  ought  not 
to  linger  any  longer ;  but  Violet  trifled  a  little 
with  conscience  to-night,  and  coaxed  her  with 
specious  pleadings.  It  couldn't  really  be  any 
harm  to  sij;  up  when  it  was  impossible  to  go  to 
sleep  ;  and  wasn't  it  better  to  be  here  watching 
that  beautiful,  heavenly  sky,  that  gave  her  such 
happy  thoughts,  than  to  be  tossing  and  tumbling 
in  a  stupid  old  bed  ? 

So  Violet  lingered,  and  the  crickets  chirped, 
and  the  katydids  sa»g,  and  chattered,  and  con- 
tradicted each  other,  — 

"  Katy  did,  Katy  didn't, 
Katy  did,  did,  did"  — 


144       A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  UEDHEESSD. 

and  the  clouds  sailed  through  the  sky,  now  gloomy 
and  dense,  shutting  up  the  Lady  Moon  in  a  black 
prison  ;  now  broken  with  ragged  rifts  through 
which  her  sweet  face  smiled  serenely  again  ;  and 
all  manner  of  quaint  thoughts  and  fancies  were 
keeping  company  with  the  moon's  changes,  in 
the  little  wakeful  spirit  that  watched  it. 

She  had  been  alone  so  much  of  her  life,  solitary 
at  least,  amongst  grown-up  people,  that  she  had 
fallen  into  a  habit  of  making  companionship  for 
herself  with  her  own  imaginations.  She  built 
castles  in  the  air,  wonderful  and  sweet  as  Mrs. 
.  Browning's  "  House  in  the  Clouds  ;  "  she  went 
down  into  the  sea  caves,  where  u  the  wild  white 
horses  foam  and  fret,"  and  the  little  mermaidens 
ride  them  ;  she  peered  into  the  gruesome  caverns 
where  the  gnomes  and  kobolds  watch  over  their 
golden  treasures  ;  she  danced  with  fairies  in  en- 
chanted gardens,  and  found  out  the  secrets  of 
bloom  and  perfume  ;  she  floated  on  storm-clouds, 
and  crossed  rainbow  bridges ;  she  soared  up  to 
the  golden  gates  of  Paradise  itself,  and  dreamed 
her  innocent,  childish  dreams  of  things  celestial. 

She  got  no  harm  from  indulging  these  fancies  ; 
they  created  for  her  a  somewhat  unreal  atmos- 
phere, but  they  kept  her  simple  and  pure,  and 


VIOLET   TO   THE    RESCUE.  145 

left  no  room  for  the  commonplace  vanities  that  fill 
up  so  many  little  feminine  brains.  They  furnished 
her  with  a  delightful  occupation,  too,  for  she  put 
them  into  pictures,  and  filled  her  portfolio  with 
sketches  of  pixies  and  water-lilies,  brownies  peep- 
ing out  of  old  ruined  castles,  and  banshees  flying 
on  windy,  moonlit  clouds.  Her  grandfather 
would  laugh  at  them,  and  say,  "  Where  do  you 
get  such  absurd  ideas?."  but  secretly  he  recog- 
nized the  delicate  grace  and  beauty  of  her  pic- 
tured fancies,  and  was  proud  of  the  talent  they 
evinced.  As  for  Violet  herself,  she  delighted  in 
her  pretty  gift,  without  guessing  that  she  did  any- 
thing remarkable. 

She  had  truly  an  .artist's  eye,  however,  that 
appropriated  every  suggestion  of  beauty ;  there 
were  wonderful  pictures  in  those  shifting  clouds, 
those  sudden  bursts  of  light,  those  wavering  leaf- 
shadows  which  took  on  so  many  grotesque 
shapes ;  and  she  was  grouping  them  mentally 
into  a  "  Goblin  Dance,"  to  be  traced  on  paper 
some  time,  when  Sydney's  cry  for  help  suddenly 
reached  her  ears. 

It  was  not  a  loud  or  sharp  cry,  that  would 
have  startled  any  one  from  sleep  ;  it  was  a  fright- 
ened, half-smothered  wail,  sounding  far  away, 
10 


146      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

and  no  one  else  heard  it.  If  Violet  had  been 
reading  still,  away  from  the  window,  it  would 
have  passed  unnoticed ;  but  as  she  sat  there, 
watching  and  listening,  it  came  to  her  ears  with 
perfect  distinctness,  a  pitiful  call  of  "  Help ! 
help !  " 

She  sprang  to  her  feet  involuntarily,  and  as  she 
did  so  she  heard  the  savage  growl  of  the  dog.  A 
suspicion  of  the  truth  flashed  into  her  mind  :  with- 
out stopping  to  consider  what  was  the  best  to  be 
done,  she  obeyed  her  first  impulse,  which  was  to 
step  out  upon  the  gallery  that  ran  outside  of  the 
window,  and  see  if  she  could  discover  the  tramp 
or  burglar  that  the  great  watch-dog  had  surprised. 
From  the  way  her  window  fronted  there  was 
nothing  to  be  seen  ;  but  another  low  growl  from 
the  dog  drew  her  round  to  the  south  angle  of  the 
balcony.  There  lay  the  garden  below  her, 
flooded  with  moonlight,  and  there,  at  the  foot  of 
the  green  slope  that  verged  to  the  orchard,  was  a 
little  heap  upon  the  ground,  black  and  motionless 
against  the  clear  white  light. 

Violet  stood  for  one  moment,  uncertain  and 
hesitating :  she  could  see  the  dog's  figure  plainly, 
but  the  outline  of  the  other  was  indistinct ;  it 
looked  like  a  child  ;  and  with  a  sudden,  unrea- 


VIOLET    TO    THE   RESCUE.  l^J 

soiling  conviction  that  it  was  no  dangerous  rob- 
ber, but  some  helpless,  innocent  creature  that  had 
been  attacked,  the  young  girl,  brave  as  she  was 
tender-hearted  and  delicate,  resolved  to  go  to  the 
rescue.  There  was  no  time  for  deliberation,  or 
to  waken  any  one  :  the  dog  was  fierce,  and  might 
do  harm,  but  Violet  knew  that  he  would  obey  a 
word  from  her.  She  could  call  him  off  if  she  dis- 
covered that  it  was  a  harmless  person  he  had 
attacked  ;  and  if  it  were  really  a  burglar  or  thief, 
he  would  protect  her. 

These  thoughts  went  quickly  through  her  mind, 
and  her  resolve  was  taken  on  the  instant.  There 
was  no  outside  descent  from  the  gallery  ;  but  just 
where  she  stood  was  a  window  that  opened  above 
a  landing-place  of  the  main  stairway  of  the  house. 
By  some  accident  it  had  not  been  closed  that 
night,  and  Violet  raised  herself  up  to  the  sill, 
leaped  lightly  down  to  the  landing  below,  and 
flew  with  noiseless  feet  down  the  broad,  thickly- 
carpeted  steps,  till  she  reached  the  hall.  The 
heavy  doors  were  locked,  and  barred,  and  bolted  ; 
she  knew  she  could  not  open  them  without  noise 
and  loss  of  time  ;  but  there  was  a  French  win- 
dow, whose  fastenings  yielded  easily  to  her  hands. 
She  was  outside  of  it  in  a  moment,  standing  upon 


148      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

the  stone  terrace,  and  in  another,  hearing  the 
dog's  growl  again,  she  was  flying  down  the  gar- 
den alley  towards  the  orchard  close. 

Sydney  had  recovered  his  senses  by  this  time. 
The  blank  unconsciousness  of  his  sudden  terror 
was  gradually  giving  way  to  a  full  realization  of 
his  unpleasant  predicament.  There  was  a  warm, 
heavy  weight  upon  his  shoulders,  and  a  most  un- 
comfortable pressure  of  two  great  paws  upon  the 
back  of  his  neck.  He  tried  to  lift  his  head,  but 
the  paws  gripped  his  throat,  and  warned  him  to 
lie  still.  Lying  so,  perfectly  powerless  to  help 
himself,  and  not  daring  to  cry  aloud  for  assistance 
from  others,  his  reflections,  as  one  may  imagine, 
were  not  of  the  most  cheerful  description. 

"  What  a  fool  I  was  !  "  he  groaned  inwardly  ; 
"  what  a  little  bragging,  conceited  fool !  Why 
couldn't  I  be  satisfied  with  what  I  had?  why 
didn't  I  go  back  when  Charlie  wanted  me  ?  and, 
O,  dear!  why  did  I  ever  come  at  all?  That's 
the  mischief  of  it  —  if  I  only  had  kept  out  of  a 
thing  that  I  knew  was  wrong !  O,  mamma, 
mamma,  what  trouble  and  shame  I  have  made 
for  you  ! " 

It  was  the  bitterest  thought  of  all ;  and  big  boy 
as  he  was,  Sydney  did  not  try  to  control  the  hot 


VIOLET    TO    THE    RESCUE.  149 

tears  of  shame  and  distress  that  rolled  down  his 
cheeks. 

"  I  shall  never  dare  to  look  anybody  in  the  face 
again,"  he  went  on,  despairingly.  "  It  will  be 
all  over  the  village,  "and  papa  will  hear  of  it  wher- 
ever he  goes.  O,  dear  !  if  I  could  get  away  from 
this  beast !  —  I  never  can,  though.  He'll  choke 
me  to  death,  and  I  don't  care  if  he  does.  O, 
dear,  dear,  dear  !  " 

He  buried  his  head  in  the  grass,  and  sobbed 
aloud  in  hopeless  misery  and  wretchedness.  It 
was  no  use  trying  to  be  brave ;  there  was  only 
one  way  of  escape  from  his  humiliating  position, 
he  knew,  and  that  was  worse  even  than  anything 
the  dog  could  do.  By  and  by  they  would  hear 
him  at  the  house,  and  then  the  servants  would 
come,  and  call  the  dog  off}  and  drag  him,  like  a 
thief,  before  the  master.  What  could  he  say  for 
himself,  then  ?  he,  Sydney  Guilford,  son  of  a  man 
that  all  Englewood,  far  and  near,  respected,  —  he 
would  have  to  hang  his  head,  and  confess  his 
guilt,  like  any  other  thief  caught  in  the  act ;  and 
his  father,  and  his  mother,  and  Laura  would  have 
to  bear  the  shame  of  it,  too.  All  for  a  few  mis- 
erable plums  and  peaches ! 


I5O   A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

A  light,  quick  step  sounded  presently  on  the 
garden  walk  above  him. . 

"  Now  they've  come  !  "  he  thought,  desperately, 
and  plunged  his  face  deeper  in  the  thick  grass. 
The  dog  lifted  his  head  up,  wagged  his  tail,  and 
gave  a  little  welcoming  bark. 

"  Bruno  !  Bruno  !  what  are  you  doing,  Bruno  ?  " 
said  a  soft,  girlish  voice,  in  a  cautious  whisper ; 
and  then  Sydney  heard  the  rustle  of  a  girl's  skirts, 
as  some  one  ran  lightly  down  the  slope,  and  felt 
his  neck  suddenly  released  from  the  pressure  of 
the  dog's  paws.  But  shame  kept  his  head  down 
still,'  though  he  was  free  at  last ;  he  could  not 
look  up  to  face  his  deliverer,  though  he  was  con- 
scious of  a  sudden  sense  of  hope  that  thrilled  him 
as  he  heard  the  sweet,  girlish  accents. 

"Who  is  here?  what  is  the  matter?"  the  voice 
asked  again,  anxiously.  "  Has  Bruno  hurt  you  ? 
Get  up,  and  speak  to  me  !  " 

Violet  had  seen  at  a  glance  that  this  was  no 
fierce  robber:  it  was  only  a  boy,  and  a  well- 
dressed  boyr  too  ;  and,  with  a  girl's  quick  wit, 
she  had  guessed  at  the  truth  instantly.  The  story 
of  the  cherry  stones  flashed  back  to  her  memory, 
and  with  it  her  grandfather's  pungent  remarks 
concerning  thieves,  small  and  great. 


VIOLET  TO  THE  RESCUE.  —  Page  150. 


VIOLET    TO    THE    RESCUE.  151 

"  This  boy  has  been  stealing  fruit,"  was  her 
rapid  conclusion  ;  "  and  if  grandpapa  gets  hold 
of  him,  he  will  make  an  example  of  him.  He 
said  he  would  ;  but  it's  a  pity  to  punish  him,  poor 
fellow  !  just  for  a  little  fruit ;  and  he  looks  like  a 
nice  boy,  too.  I've  a  great  mind  to  let  him  go, 
and  never  tell !  " 

With  this  charitable,  but  not  strictly  upright, 
purpose,  she  stooped  over  Sydney's  prostrate 
figure,  and  laid  a  little  soft  hand  upon  his 
shoulder. 

"  Get  up,"  she  whispered,  "  and  go  away. 
I'll  keep  Bruno  quiet  if  you'll  go  directly.  But 
if  grandpapa  comes,  he  won't  let  you  off  so 
easily.  Down,  Bruno  !  and  let  him  alone." 

• 

The  dog  seemed  to  guess  that  the  ends  of  jus- 
tice were  going  to  be  defeated ;  he  gave  a  growl, 
and  straightened  himself  to  spring  again,  but 
Violet  held  him  back,  with  her  hand  upon  his 
collar,  and  a  gentle  but  decided  command.  Syd- 
ney rose  up  slowly  from  the  ground ;  he  could 
not  hide  his  face  forever,  ashamed  as  he  was  to 
show  it,  and  this  opportunity  of  escape  was  so 
much  better  than  anything  he  could  have  ex- 
pected, that  it  would  have  been  the  height  of 
folly  not  to  avail  himself  of  it. 


152      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  KEDRESSED. 

Violet  watched  him,  her  heart  beating  fast 
with  excitement,  as  he  drew  himself  up  and 
turned  his  face  towards  her.  She  was  frightened 
at  her  own  boldness  in  telling  him  to  go  when 
she  was  sure  that  he  had  been  committing  a  tres- 
pass, but  she  did  not  feel  in  the  least  afraid  of  the 
boy  himself.  In  fact,  there  was  so  much  real 
shame  and  regret  in  his  eyes  when  they  met  hers 
that  she  felt  nothing  but  pity  for  him  ;  especially 
when  he  began  to  thank  her,  in  a  confused 
and  distressed  sort  of  way,  for  her  kindness  to 
him. 

"  I  never  did  anything  like  this  before,"  he 
stammered  out,  awkwardly.  "  I  suppose  you 
won't  believe  me,  though." 

"  Yes,  I  will,  if  you  say  so,"  Violet  answered, 
fearlessly.  "  You  don't  look  like  a  bad  boy  — 
though  what  you've  been  doing,"  she  added,  re- 
provingly, "  is  very  bad  indeed.  You  ought  to 
know  better  than  to  steal  here  in  the  night,  like 
this,  to  take  our  fruit.  If  you  had  come  to  the 
house,  any  d-ay,  and  asked  for  it,  my  grandpapa 
would  have  given  you  all  you  wanted  ;  but  it 
makes  him  very  angry  to  have  people  take  it 
without  leave.  He  says  it's  just  as  wicked  to 
steal  fruit  as  to  steal  money." 


VIOLET    TO   THE   RESCUE.  153 

"  I  suppose  it  is,"  said  Sydney,  with  a  rue- 
ful air.  "  My  father  always  told  me  the  same 
thing." 

"  Why  do  you  do  it,  then  ?  "  she  asked,  quickly. 

"  Because  I'm  an  idiot,"  was  his  disgusted  an- 
swer. 

"  A  very  good  reason,"  she  retorted,  saucily ; 
and  the  severe  expression  which  she  had  called 
up  to  her  face,  melted  away  in  a  smile  so  merry 
and  sweet,  that  Sydney's  heart  leaped  up  involun- 
tarily. 

"  I  wonder  what  makes  you  so  kind  to  me," 
he  exclaimed,  looking  up  at  her  with,  a  sudden 
admiring  perception  of  her  beauty  and  goodness. 
"  Why  didn't  you  let  the  dog  choke  me,  or  bring 
somebody  to  punish  me  ?  I  deserve  to  be  pun- 
ished, you  know." 

"  I  dare  say  you  do,"  she  assented,  with  a  grave 
little  nod.  "  But  I  think  you  are  sorry,  and  I 
don't  believe  you  will  try  it  again." 

"  How  did  you  happen  to  be  awake,  this 
time  of  night?  It  must  be  very  late  for  you,"  he 
asked. 

"  So  it  is,  and  every  one  else  is  asleep.  But  I 
sat  up  late,  because  I  was  reading,  and  I  wanted 


154      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

to  finish  my  book.  Thaf  s  the  way  I  happened 
to  hear  you  when  you  cried  '  help  ! '  " 

"  Did  you  come  out  here  all  alone,  on  purpose 
to  help  me?  "  Sydney  cried,  in  amazement. 

"  Yes,  I  did,"  was  her  simple  answer.  "  I 
heard  you  call  out,  and  I  heard  the  dog,  and  I 
was  afraid  he  would  hurt  you  if  I  waited  to  wake 
up  grandpapa,  or  anybody.  So  I  just  ran  down 
here  as  fast  as  I  could." 

"  But  you  didn't  know  it  was  /,"  Sydney 
exclaimed,  in  still  greater  astonishment.  "  It 
might  have  been  a  —  a  real  thief — a  bad  man 
—  a  burglar!  I  should  think  a  girl  like  you 
wouldn't  have  dared  !  " 

"  I  knew  Bruno  could  take  care  of  me,  if  there 
was  any  danger,"  she  said,  quietly. 

Sydney  looked  at  her  again  with  eyes  full  of 
admiration.  "  You're  the'  bravest  girl  I  ever 

s 

saw,"  he  said,  warmly,  "  and  the  kindest,  and  the 
prettiest.  You've  been  just  like  an  angel  to  me, 
and  you  look  like  one,  too  !  " 

It  was  not  just  then  a  very  exaggerated  state- 
ment ;  for,  as  Violet  stood  there  in  her  white 
dress,  with  her  lovely  golden  hair  flowing  loose 
over  her  shoulders,  and  the  soft  moonlight  re- 
fining every  delicate  feature,  there  was  indeed 


VIOLET   TO    THE    RESCUE.  155 

something  angelic  in  her  appearance.  But  she 
laughed  her  own  little  merry  laugh  at  "  such  a 
ridiculous  idea." 

"  You  had  better  go  away,"  she  said,  "  instead 
of  stopping  here  to  say  such  silly  things.  I  must 
go  back  to  the  house  directly,  and  I  would  ad- 
vise you  to  get  out  of  Bruno's  reach  as  quickly 
as  possible.  I  hope  it  will  be  a  lesson  to  you  in 
future,"  she  added,  with  a  little  dignified  air, 
as  she  turned  away.  u  It's  not  a  gentlemanly 
thing,  to  say  the  least  of  it,  to  be  robbing  or- 
chards." 

"  I'll  never  do  it  again  as  long  as  I  live,"  Syd- 
ney cried,  eagerly,  coming  nearer  to  her,  and 
holding  out  his  hand.  "  I  wish  you'd  shake 
hands  with  me,  just  to  show  you  believe  me." 

Violet  held  out  her  hand  readily.  "  Of  course 
I  will,"  she  said ;  and  he  grasped  it  with  .  a 
squeeze. 

"  Tell  me  your  name,  too,"  he  continued,  hold- 
ing the  little  hand  tight.  "  Mine  is  Sydney  Guil- 
ford  ;  and,  some  time  or  other,  —  may  be,  —  you 
will  let  me  get  acquainted  with  you,  and  prove  to 
you  that  I'm  not  such  a  mean  sneak  as  I  look  like 
to-night." 

"  I  don't  know  about  getting  acquainted,"  said 


156      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

Violet,  drawing  back  a  little.  "  My  grandpapa 
does  not  let  me  have  acquaintances,  and  I  don't 
suppose  I  shall  ever  see  you  -any  more.  But 
I'll  tell  you  my  name.  It  is  Violet  —  Violet 
Schuyler." 

"Violet?"  Sydney  exclaimed,  with  a  sudden 
recollection  of  the  little  handkerchief.  "  Were 
you  ever  in  Dale  cemetery?  Did  you  lose  some' 
thing  there  one  day  —  a  pretty  little  handkerchief, 
with  your  name  worked  on  it  ?  " 

"  I've  lost  lots  of  handkerchiefs,  with  my  name 
on  them,"  she  answered,  looking  puzzled.  "  I 
don't  know  if  I  lost  one  in  Dale  cemetery  —  O, 
yes,  I  do,  though,"  she  interrupted  herself  sud- 
denly. "  It  was  a  good  while  ago,  one  day  in 
June,  when  we  first  came  to  live  in  Englcwood. 
Yes,  I  remember  now  ;  I  lost  my  handkerchief 
that  day  that  I  saw  all  the  boys  and  girls  in  the 
woods  having  a  tea-party." 

"  Yes,  it  was  the  day  of  our  picnic,"  Sydney 
returned,  eagerly.  "  Were  you  in  the  woods 
then  ?  did  you  see  us  ?  " 

"  I  saw  a  crowd  of  boys  and  girls  —  were  you 
there  ? "  she  answered,  as  eagerly.  "  I  was 
behind  the  bushes,  and  I  peeped  through, -and 


VIOLET   TO    THE    RESCUE.  157 

saw  them  making  tea,  and  setting  out  lunch  with 
a  table-cloth  on  the  grass." 

"  It  was  our  picnic ;  of  course  I  was  there," 
said  Sydney,  excitedly.  "  I  wish  I  had  known 
you  were  so  near  !  " 

"  Grandpapa  scolded  me  for  peeping,  when  I 
came  home  and  told  him.  But  it  looked  so 
pleasant  to  see  you  all  so  merry  together,  build- 
ing the  fire,  and  making  the  tea,  and  losing  the 
lemonade.  I  heard  all  the  fuss  about  that,  and 
it'  was  so  funny,  I  thought  I  should  laugh  out 
loud  more  than  once.  How  odd  it  is  that  you 
should  be  one  of  those  boys'!  and  that  you  should 
find  my  handkerchief — and  then  —  that  I  should 
find  you  —  "  • 

"  Robbing  your  grandfather's  plum  trees,"  in- 
terrupted Sydney,  bitterly.  "  That's  the  oddest 
thing  of  all.  But  I  haven't  stolen  your  handker- 
chief, at  any  rate,  Miss  Violet.  I  tried  to  find 
out  the  owner  for  a  long  time,  and  then  I  put  it 
away  safely.  I  shall  bring  it  to  you  to-morrow." 

"  O,  never  mind  it ;  I  don't  care  about  it  at  all," 
she  said,  hastily.  "  You  must  really  go  away 
now  ;  don't  stay  another  minute.  There's  a  light 
in  the  house  —  somebody  is  up  !  " 

"  Good   by,  then  !  ''   he  exclaimed,  giving  her 


158      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

little  hand  another  energetic  squeeze.  "  I'll  never 
forget  you  as  long  as  I  live  !  " 

And  he  darted  into  the  orchard,  while  Violet 
held  Bruno's  collar  firmly,  and  stroked  his  head 
with  her  hand ;  whispering  softly  to  him  to  pre- 
vent the  bark  or  growl  which  might  be  heard  at 
the  house.  Bruno  was  quiet  under  her  caresses, 
though  his  doggish  brain  was  evidently  rather 
puzzled  by  this  ending  to  the  affair.  It  was  not 
in  his  experience  of  things  to  let  an  offender  es- 
cape scot-free  ;  but,  as  Miss  Violet  would  have 
it  so,  it  must  be  all  right.  So  he  sniffed,  and 
wagged  his  tail  at  her  coaxing  words,  and  suf- 
fered himself  to  be  led  back  quietly  to  his  kennel, 
while  Sydney  was  making  alfr  speed  through  the 
orchard.  He  had  made  up  his  mind  to  leave  his 
hat  to  its  fate,  and  waste  not  a  moment  in  look- 
ing for  it.  But  as  luck  would  have  it,  he  ran 
past  the  very  tree  where  he  had  left  it,  and  a 
friendly  moonbeam  suddenly  revealed  it  to  him, 
perched  in  the  fork  of  the  branches,  with  its 
luscious  contents  all  undisturbed. 

He  snatched  it  with  eager  delight,  tossed  on 
the  ground  the  fruit  that  he  had  selected  so  care- 
fully, and,  jamming  the  hat  on  'his  head,  hurried 
on  to  the  fence  behind  which  Charlie  and  Frank 


VIOLET    TO    THE    RESCUE.  159 

were  waiting  still  in  a  sort  of  dumb  despair.  It 
was  not  really  half  an  hour  since  Sydney  had  left 
them,  to  go  back  for  his  hat,  although  so  muchr 
had  happened  in  the  mean  while.  But  to  them, 
waiting  so  anxiously,  and  ignorant  of  what  was 
going  on,  it  had  seemed  an  eternity.  Frank  had 
stuffed  himself  with  pears  and  plums,  and  so 
diverted  his  anxiety  for  a  time ;  but  Charlie  had 
been  in  a  state  of  unmitigated  misery,  imagining 
every  misfortune  that  could  possibly  happen  to 
Sydney,  and  shaking  in  his  boots  with  terror,  lest 
the  old  colonel,  or  the  dog,  or  something  worse, 
should  suddenly  rush  out  upon  them  also. 

Never  was  a  more  welcome  sound  than  Syd- 
ney's hurried  footsteps,  when  they  came  at  last. 
Charlie  sprang  up  with  an  inexpressible  sense  of 
relief,  and  Frank  exclaimed,  under  his  breath, 
"  There  he  is,  now !  "  with  an  eagerness  that 
showed  an  equal  anxiety. 

"Are  you  there,  boys?"  came,  in  a  nervous 
whisper,  from  the  other  side  of  the  fence.  "  Look 
out  for  me  when  I  swing  over." 

"  All  right,"  Charlie  returned.  "  Hurry  up  !  " 
And  the  next  minute  Sydney  was  in  the  plum 
tree,  swinging  himself  from  branch  to  branch, 
and  finally  reaching  a  foothold  on  the  fence  once 


l6o      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

more.  Frank  lent  his  shoulders  for  a  stepping- 
stone,  and  Charlie  caught  him  as  he  scrambled 
down  ;  and  both  together  began  to  pour  out  ques- 
tions, which  Sydney  cut  oft'  at  the  root. 

"  Run  as  fast  as  you  can  —  they've  seen  us  at 
the  house !  " 

And  there  was  no  stopping  to  parley  after  this, 
on  Charlie's  part.  He  grabbed  the  bag  and  shot 
across  the  meadow,  swift  as  an  arrow  ;  the  oth- 
ers followed  as  rapidly,  and  the  three  hardly 
drew  breath  till  they  were  safe  on  the  high  road 
again,  and  Colonel  Schuyler's  orchard  far  behind 
their  backs. 


VIOLET'S  DILEMMA.  161 


CHAPTER  X. 
VIOLET'S  DILEMMA. 

>  Bruno,  old  fellow,  lie  down.  It's  all 
right,  sir  ;  so  you  be  quiet,"  Violet  whis- 
pered, with  a  final  pat  on  the  shaggy  head  as  she 
turned  away  from  the  kennel. 

The  dog  lay  down,  obediently,  and  his  young 
mistress  hurried  back  to  the  house,  her  heart 
trembling,  it  must  be  confessed,  with  various 
fears,  in  addition  to  the  excitement  of  this  mid- 
night adventure.  She  had  seen  a  sudden  fight 
shine  out  from  one  of  the  windows,  and  the  first 
frightened  thought  was,  that  her  absence  had  been 
discovered,  by  her  grandfather  perhaps,  or  her 
governess.  If  that  were  so,  she  knew  the  alarm 
it  would  excite,  and  how  quickly  everybody 
would  be  roused  to  look  for  her ;  and  then,  how 
could  she  account  for  her  leaving  her  room  ?  To 
tell  anything  but  the  truth  was,  of  course,  not  to 
be  thought  of;  but  to  tell  that  would  not  only 
ii 


1 62   A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

betray  the  boy,  whom  she  had  promised  to  pro- 
tect, but  bring  herself  into  disgrace  with  her 
grandfather.  She  knew  his  opinions  about  such 
matters,  and  that  he  would  not  approve  of  her 
conduct ;  on  the  contrary,  that  he  would  be  very 
much  annoyed  by  it  altogether. 

At  her  sitting  up  so  late,  in  the  first  place, 
which  was  always  out  of  rule ;  then  at  her  rash- 
ness in  venturing  out  of  the  house  alone  at  such 
a  time,  and  for  such  a  reason  ;  and  lastly  at  her 
interference  with  Bruno  in  the  proper  discharge 
of  his  duty.  She  had  heard  him  utter  stringent 
sentiments  against  the  weakness  and  wickedness 
of  those  who  encouraged  wrong-doing  by  excus- 
ing and  shielding  it.  "  Pity  the  criminal,  but 
punish  the  crime,"  was  his  motto ;  and  Violet 
knew  that  his  practice  always  agreed  with  his 
theory. 

So  it  is  plain  that  she  had  reason  to  be  un- 
easy in  view  of  an  explanation  with  him.  There 
was  nothing  in  the  world  that  she  dreaded  so 
much  as  to  fall  under  his  displeasure  :  it  had  hap- 
pened once  or  twice  in  her  life,  and  they  were 
wretched  times  indeed,  though  she  had  not  had 
to  suffer  any  of  the  ordinary  pains  and  penalties 
by  which  children  are  punished  for  misdemeanors. 


VIOLET'S  DILEMMA.  163 

Colonel  Schuyler  had  his  own  method  of  express- 
ing his  displeasure  ;  and  Violet  felt  it  exactly  as 
he  meant  that  she  should.  But  she  feared  it  so, 
that,  to  avoid  it,  she  was  very  anxious  to  keep 
this  night's  adventure  entirely  out  of  his  knowl- 
edge. 

Whether  this  was  right  or  wrong  she  did  not 
like  to  consider.  In  her  own  heart,  which  in- 
clined to  mercy  rather  than  stern  justice,  she  did 
not  feel  very  guilty  for  what  she  had  done.  Boys 
always  would  rob  orchards  —  it  was  expected  of 
them  ;  and  this  was  such  a  "  nice  boy "  !  He 
seemed  so  sorry,  too,  and  ashamed  ;  it  would  have 
been  such  a  pity  to  let  Bruno  hurt  him,  or  to  have 
grandp  tpa  "  make  an  example  of  him  "  in  some 
terrible  way.  No,  Violet  could  not  help  feeling 
glad  that  he  had  got  off  in  safety ;  and  though, 
perhaps  it  was  disobedient,  and  it  was  certainly 
very  uncomfortable,  to  keep  a  secret,  yet  still  — 

"  I  mean  to  do  it,"  was  her  unspoken  deter- 
mination. "  If  nobody  saw  me,  there  is  no  need 
for  me  to  tell  at  all.  It  would  only  vex  grand- 
papa, and  get  me  a  scolding ;  and  if  I  keep  it  to 
myself,  nobody  will  be  the  worse.  I  only  wish 
I  knew  whether  I  have  been  missed  or  not ! " 

She  trod  lightly  across  the  stone  terrace,  and 


164      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

listened  cautiously  at  the  window,  which  she  had 
left  open,  before  she  ventured  to  step  inside. 
Everything  was  silent  and  shadowy  within  ;  only 
the  moonlight  dividing  the  darkness  on  either 
side  of  the  window,  and  a  solitary  cricket  chirp- 
ing in  a  corner  of  the  hall.  Out  of  doors  the 
chattering  katy-dids,  and  the  rustling  wind  of  the 
oak  trees,  and  fairy-like  arabesques  of  light  and 
shade  on  the  stone  floor  at  her  feet.  Nothing  at 
all  to  prove  that  the  whole  household  was  not  as 
deep  in  slumber  as  the  palace  of  the  Sleeping 
Beauty  ;  and  with  a  lightened  heart  Violet  stole  in 
.again,  closed  the  window  behind  her,  and  crept, 
cat-like,  up  the  staircase. 

At  the  first  landing,  where  the  stairs  turned, 
she  stopped  suddenly.  A  yellow  light  streamed 
across  the  entry,  and  in  the  open  doorway  of  her 
room,  a  candle  in  her  hand,  and  a  dressing-gown 
over  her  night-dress,  stood  Mrs.  Weldon,  Violet's 
governess.  There  was  an  end,  at  once,  to  all  her 
hopes  of  getting  back  to  her  own  room  without 
being  seen ! 

Mrs.  Weldon  stepped  forward  hastily  as  she 
caught  sight  of  the  little  figure  on  the  landing. 

"  What  a  fright  you  have  given  me,  Violet !  " 
she  exclaimed,  nervously.  "  Why  are  you  down 


VIOLET'S  DILEMMA.  165 

stairs  at  this  hour  of  the  night?     What  in  the 
worlcl  have  you  been  doing?" 

"  Nothing  dreadful,"  Violet  answered,  trying 
to  appear  unconcerned,  though  she  trembled  all 
over  at  this  unexpected  encounter.  "  I  sat  up  too 
late  to-night,  and  you  will  have  to  scold  me,  I 
suppose.  But  I  won't  do  it  again." 

"  Do  you  mean  to  say  you  have  never  been  to 
bed  at  all?"  asked  Mrs.  Weldon,  sharply.  "•  You 
went  up  stairs  at  nine  o'clock,  and  it  is  now 
nearly  one !  " 

"  Is  it  so  late  as  that?"  Violet  hung  her  head 
guiltily.  u  I  didn't  mean  to  do  it,  Mrs.  Weldon, 
indeed.  I'm  sorry,  and  I'll  go  to  bed  now  di- 
rectly." 

"  You'll  come  into  my  room  first,"  said  her 
governess,  "  and  tell  me  what  all  this  means. 
There's  something  here  that  I  don't  quite  under- 
stand ; "  and  taking  Violet's  hand,  she  led  her, 
unresisting,  into  the  room,  and  closed  the  door. 

"  Now  explain  to  me,  please,"  she  continued, 
looking  closely  into  her  face,  "why  you  sat  up  so 
late,  when  you  know  it  is  not  your  grandfather's 
wish  ;  and  especially  why  you  are  down  stairs 
in  the  dark,  instead  of  in  your  own  room?" 
v  Viobt's  face  flushed  with  confusion  and  dis- 


1 66      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

tress ;  Mrs.  Weldon's  look  was  severe,  her  tone 
was  cold  and  judicial ;  it  was  plain  that  she  sus- 
pected something  wrong,  and  that  she  meant  to 
investigate  the  matter  fully.  How  could  Violet 
answer  siich  questions  without  betraying  her 
secret  ? 

"  I  have  been  reading,"  was  all  she  could  say, 
with  a  rather  faltering  voice.  "  Grandpapa  gave 
me  a  new  book  to-day,  and  I  was  so  interested  in 
it  that  I  didn't  see  how  late  it  was  growing." 

"  You  knew  it  was  not  right  to  read  at  all, 
when  you  were  sent  up  to  go  to  bed,"  said  Mrs. 
Weldon,  coldly. 

"  Grandpapa  has  never  forbidden  me,"  Violet 
answered,  timidly. 

"  That's  an  evasion  of  the  truth.  There  should 
be  no  need  of  an  express  command  for  something 
that  is  always  understood.  I  am  surprised  at 
you,  Violet ; "  and  Mrs.  Weldon's  look  and  tone 
expressed  severe  disapproval. 

"  This  is  not  all,  however,"  she  continued. 
"  You  were  reading  up  stairs  ;  I  saw  the  book  on 
your  table  ;  but  what  were  you  doing  in  the  lower 
part  of  the  house  ?  " 

"  I  was  not  doing  anything  wrong,"  said  Violet, 


VIOLET'S  DILEMMA.  167 

in  A  low  voice,  and  not  very  sure  that  she  was 
tekmg  the  strict  truth. 

'•  Then  you  will  not  object  to  informing  me, 
• 
I  suppose,"   said   her   governess.     "  What   took 

you  down  stairs,  pray?  I  am  really  curious  to 
know." 

"  I  can't  tell  you,"  Violet  answered,  uneasily. 
"  Please  don't  ask  me.  I  have  promised  not  to 
tell." 

"  Promised  whom  ?  This  is  a  very  singular 
affair  !  "  Mrs.  Weldon  exclaimed  in  amazement. 
"  Here  you  are,  a  young  girl  —  a  child — wander- 
ing about  the  house  in  the  dead  of  the  night ; 
and  when  I  ask  what  you  are  doing,  you  have 
promised  not  to  tell  I  You  surely  cannot  think, 
Violet,  that  I  shall  suffer  such  a  thing  to  pass 
unexplained.  I  should  be  fulfilling  my  duty  very 
poorly  if  I  did." 

"  I  have  not  done  anything  to  be  ashamed  of," 
said  Violet,  twisting  her  fingers  nervously.  "  I 
heard  Bruno  growling,  and  I  went  down  to  see 
what  was  the  matter  with  him." 

Mrs.  Weldon  gave  her  a  look,  incredulous,  and 
almost  contemptuous.  "  I  never  knew  you  to 
tell  a  'ulsehood  before,  Violet ;  but  you  cannot 
expect  .no  to  believe  anything  so  absurd  as  that." 


l68       A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

"  It  is  true,  all  the  same,"  Violet  returned,  her 
face  flushing  indignantly  at  the  scornful  tone.  "  I 
went  down  stairs  because  I  heard  Bruno ;  that 
was  exactly  the  reason." 

"  And  it  \vns  to  Bruno,  I  suppose,  that  you 
gave  your  promise  not  to  tell." 

"  No,  it  wasn't,"  said  Violet,  angrily,  her  tem- 
per giving  way  under  so  much  repressed  excite- 
ment, and  her  self-love  wounded  by  the  charge 
of  falsehood.  "  But  I  will  not  tell  you  another 
word.  I  have  said  the  truth,  and  you  think  I  am 
telling  wrong  storfes.  I  never  do  tell  wrong  sto- 
ries, and  it  is  very  unkind  to  speak  to  me  in  that 
sarcastic  way,  as  if  you  did  not  believe  one  word 
I  said." 

She  burst  into  tears,  and  sobbed  passionately 
for  a  minute  or  two,  unable  to  bear  longer  the 
strain  upon  her  self-control.  It  was  the  natural 
outlet  for  the  nervous  excitement  of  the  past  hour  ; 
but  Mrs.  Weldon,  being  ignorant  of  the  real  cause, 
considered  it  a  mere  display  of  temper,  and  re- 
garded her  with  surprise  and  displeasure. 

"  You  will  waken  your  grandfather  if  you  do 
not  control  yourself,"  .she  said  ;  "  and  it  is  not 
necessary  to  distress  him,  to-night  at  least,  with 
your  incomprehensible  behavior.  Since  you  re- 


VIOLET'S  DILEMMA.  169 

fuse  to  explain  it,  I  think  you  had  better  go  to  your 
room  now  ;  but  to-morrow  we  shall  have  to  dis- 
cuss this  matter  again." 

She  opened  the  door,  and  Violet  darted  out 
without  answering,  and  ran  to  her  own  room  at 
the  end  of  the  corridor.  There  she  threw  herself 
on  the  bed,  and  sobbed  out  her  vexation  and  ex- 
citement without  interruption.  It  was  so  provok- 
ing, it  was  so  unfortunate,  that  her  governess  had 
waked  up !  Why  couldn't  she  have  slept  one 
half  hour  longer  ?  and  then  everything  would  have 
been  right. 

It  was  rather  singular  that  Violet  blamed  her 
governess  more  for  waking  up  than  she  did  Syd- 
ney for  having  been  the  cause  of  all  the  trouble. 
She  thought  less  of  the  fault  which  he  had  com- 
mitted than  of  his  handsome  eyes,  and  the  way 
in  which  he  had  praised  and  thanked  her,  and 
said  she  looked  like  an  angel.  A  perfect  stranger 
as  he  was,  she  could  not  bear  the  thought  of  be- 
traying his  misdemeanor  even  to  her  governess ; 
and  she  went  to  sleep  finally,  quite  decided  not  to 
tell  her  anything  about  the  affair  in  the  orchard. 

Mrs.  Welclon,  on  her  part,  went  to  sleep  with 
an  equal  determination  to  have  the  whole  matter 
explained  in  the  morning.  She  was  thoroughly 


170      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

astonished  at  Violet's  behavior,  so  unlike  any- 
thing that  had  ever  happened  before,  and  not  a 
little  indignant  at  what  she  considered  her  ob- 
stinacy, and  evasion  of  the  truth.  She  had  been 
frightened  at  finding  her  absent  from  her  room 
at  so  late  an  hour,  and  was  just  about  going  down 
stairs,  in  great  anxiety,  to  look  for  her,  when  Vi- 
olet suddenly  made  her  appearance.  The  reac- 
tion of  feeling  when  she  saw  her  quite  safe,  and 
fully  dressed,  showing  she  had  not  yet  been  in 
bed,  gave  a  certain  sharpness  to  her  tone  and 
•words  that  irritated  Violet,  and  did  not  invite 
confidence  or  confession.  If  she  had  spoken 
more  kindly  —  less  in  the  way  of  reproof,  with 
something  wrong  taken  for  granted  —  there  would 
have  been  a  different  result.  Violet  loved  her 
governess,  and  was  not  so  much  afraid  of  her  dis- 
approval as  she  was  of  her  grandfather's.  With 
more  gentleness  and  forbearance,  Mrs.  Weldon 
could  have  won  the  whole  story  from  her ;  but 
now  it  was  too  late. 

Violet  was  indignant  at  the  charge  of  untruth- 
fulness,  and  did  not  choose  to  remember  that  her 
own  conduct  made  the  suspicion  a  very  natural 
one.  She  felt  aggrieved  by  Mrs.  Weldon's  severe 
tone,  and  it  became  a  temptation  to  make  a  hero- 


VIOLET'S  DILEMMA.  171 

ine  of  herself,  and  submit  to  reproof,  perhaps 
punishment,  for  keeping  silence,  rather  than  tell 
the  truth,  which  would  bring  blame  upon  another. 

So  there  was  no  inclination  to  yield,  on  either 
side,  when  they  met  again  the  next  day.  Mrs. 
Weldon  gave  Violet  a  cold  and  grave  "  good 
morning,"  which  was  answered  without  any 
warmth  or  cheerfulness  ;  and  when  breakfast  was 
over,  and  lessons  began,  there  was  the  same  un- 
comfortable constraint  upon  everything.  Violet 
repeated  her  tasks  with  the  sullen  air  of  a  person 
who  has  been  aggrieved,  and  her  governess  lis- 
tened to  them  in  cold  and  silent  disapproval. 
There  was  none  of  the  comment  and  explanation, 
none  of  the  pleasant,  discursive  between-talk, 
which  had  made  lesson  hours  so  interesting,  and 
taught  her  so  much  more  than  the  mere  books 
had  ever  done.  It  was  all  formal  and  dreary, 
and  overshadowed  with  the  anticipation  of  the 
inevitable  "  lecture  "  that  must  follow. 

When  the  study  hour  was  over,  after  recita- 
tions, Mrs.  Weldon  opened  the  subject. 

"  If  you  have  anything  to  tell  me,  Violet,  to 
justify  your  behavior  last  night,  I  shall  be  very 
glad  to  hear  it,"  she  said.  "  You  have  had  time 
enough  to  reflect  upon  it,  and  to  see,  I  hope, 


172       A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

that  it  is  your  duty  to  give  me  a  candid  expla- 
nation." 

Violet's  reflections  had  not  tended  to  that 
conclusion,  however.  "I  can't  tell  you  anvtli.ng 
more  than  I  did  last  night,"  she  answered,  with 
a  determined  expression. 

"And  you  expect  me  to  be.  satisfied  with 
that?  "  asked  her  governess.  "  As  a  sensible  girl, 
can  you  honestly  think  that  I  should  do  my  duty 
to  you  if  I  did  not  try  to  find  out  the  truth  of  this 
matter  ?  " 

"I  think," — Violet  hung  her*  head  in  a  mo- 
ment's confusion,  then  lifted  it  up  haughtily,  with 
red  cheeks, —  "  I  think  you  might  take  my  word 
for  the  truth  of  the  matter !  I  never  have  told 
you  a  falsehood,  never  !  " 

"  That  isn't  the  question,"  Mrs.  Weldon  re- 
turned calmly.  "  You  may  have  spoken  the 
truth  as  far  as  it  goes,  —  I  will  allow  that,  —  but, 
by  your  own  showing,  there  is  more  that  you  will 
not  tell.  I  claim  that  as  your  governess,  respon- 
sible to  your  grandfather  for  your  good  behavior, 
it  is  my  right  and  duty  to  know  the  whole  afiair. 
You  have  only  told  me  a  part." 

"  I  can't  help  it ;  it's  all  I  can  tell,"  said  Violet, 
half  pettishly,  half  sullenly.  "  I  didn't  go  down 


VIOLET'S  DILEMMA.  173 

stairs  for  any  wiong  purpose,  and  when  I  say  so, 
you  might  believe  me,  and  be  satisfied." 

"  Excuse  me,  my  dear."  Mrs.  Weldon  smiled 
rather  sarcastically.  "  I  am  so  far  from  being 
satisfied  that,  if  you  persist  in  this  secrecy,  I  shall 
be  forced  to  adopt  a  very  unpleasant  alternative." 

Violet  looked  up  with  flashing  eyes.  "  You 
mean  to  tell  grandpapa,  I  suppose  ?  " 

"  Exactly  ;  unless  you  choose  to  prevent  it.  I 
should  very  much  prefer  not  to  have  to  appeal  to 
him." 

"  I  think  you  are  too  unkind,"  Violet  exclaimed, 
the  tears  springing  to  her  eyes.  "  You  will 
make  grandpapa  angry  with  me,  and  bring  me 
into  trouble,  when  I  have  done  nothing  wrong, 
nothing  wrong." 

"  My  dear,  it  lies  with  you  to  prove  that,  and 
there  is  nothing  I  wish  so  much,"  said  Mrs.  Wel- 
don, gently. 

"You  might  believe  what  I  say,"  sobbed 
Violet. 

"  It  is  what  you  leave  unsaid  that  makes  the 
mischief,"  returned  her  governess.  "  You  must 
have  had  a  reason  for  being  down  stairs  in  the 
dark,  after  midnight,  when  every  one  else  wras  in 
bed.  If  it  was  a  good  reason,  it  is  natural  to 


1 74      A  WRONG -CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

suppose  that  you  would  not  refuse  to  give  it.  If 
it  was  a  bad  one,  —  and  your  silence  seems  to 
prove  that,  —  your  grandfather  ought  to  know  of 
the  matter.  It  would  be  poor  kindness  in  me  to 
let  you  persist  in  doing  wrong,  —  even  help  you 
to  deceive  your  grandfather  ! " 

"  I  am  not  deceiving  him,"  Violet  began  an- 
grily ;  but  checked  herself  abruptly.  For  con- 
science cried  out,  Was  it  not  deception,  after  all, 
to  hide  something  that  he  had  a  right  to  know, 
and  act  as  if  nothing  had  happened,  when  some- 
thing had  been  done  that  she  knew  would  dis- 
please him?  It  was  impossible  to  justify  herself, 
and  yet  she  could  not  bear  to  acknowledge  Syd- 
ney's transgression. 

"I  promised  him  I  would  not  tell,"  she  thought, 
distressfully,  "  and  if  I  do,  how  mean  it  will  be  ! 
Grandpapa  will  never  rest  till  he  has  the  boy 
punished :  he  will  make  me  tell  his  name  and 
everything;  and  then  suppose  •!  should  ever  see 
him  again.  How  he  will  despise  me  !  O,  I  can't, 
I  must  not  tell." 

She  hid  her  face  in  her  hands  and  cried  ;  it  was 
the  only  expression  she  could  make  of  the  inward 
struggle  that  so  distressed  her  ;  and  Mrs.  Weldon, 
who  had  not  the  remotest  idea  of  the  real  state 


VIOLET'S  DILEMMA.  175 

of  the  case,  looked  on  at  her  emotion  with  pity 
and  amazement  that  were  mingled  with  painful 
doubts  and  suspicions..  There  was  no  way  of 
even  making  a  guess  at  what  had  really  happened, 
no  single  wrong  thing  that  she  could  fix  upon  in 
her  mind  as  possible  for  Violet  to  -have  been  con- 
cerned in.  And  yet  all  this  desire  for  secrecy, 
this  obstinate  refusal  to  explain,  this  passionate 
distress  at  the  thought  of  her  grandfather  being 
told,  —  how  could  they  be  accounted  for  if  she 
was  perfectly  innocent? 

It  was  altogether  a  painful  mystery,  and  to  a 
person  both  conscientious  and  kind-hearted,  as 
Mrs.  Weldon  was,  loving  her  pupil  tenderly,  and 
yet  compelled  by  her  sense  of  duty  to  be  severe, 
the  situation  was  perplexing  in  the  extreme.  She 
watched  the  sobbing  girl  sorrowfully  for  several 
minutes,  pondering  what  she  might  best  say. ' 
She  went  to  her  at  last,  and  drew  her  hands  away 
from  her  face. 

"  You  must  not  cry  so,  my  dear,"  she  said,  res- 
olutely. "  All  this  sobbing  is  unnecessary  if  you 
have  done  nothing  wrong,  and  if  you  have  it  will 
not  mend  it.  Dry  your  tears  now,  and  listen  to 
me.  I  must  speak  to  you  plainly." 

But  to  bid  Violet  dry  her  tears  was  one  thing, 


176      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  IIAI.F  REDRESSED. 

to  make  her  do  it,  another.  In  her  short,  happy 
life,  so  filled  with  affection,  and  so  sheltered  from 
trouble,  she  had  seldom  had  occasion  to  shed 
tears.  But  when  they  once  began  to  flow,  it  was 
no  easy  matter  to  check  them,  especially  in  a 
dilemma  that  seemed  so  hopeless  as  the  present. 
So  she  continued  to  cry,  uncontrollably  :  and  Mrs. 
Weldon  grew  more  and  more  perplexed  and  un- 
happy. 

It  was  useless,  she  felt,  to  make  any  further 
attempts  now  to  compel  an  explanation,  and  she 
was  almost  as  unwilling  as  Violet  herself  to  bring 
the  matter  to  Colonel  Schuyler. 

41  I  will  give  you  one  more  opportunity,"  she 
said  at  last,  after  a  few  minutes'  painful  consider- 
ation. "  You  know  I  do  not  wish  to  bring  you 
into  trouble  with  your  grandfather,  and  I  will  not 
go  to  him  now  until  you  have  had  more  time  to 
make  up  your  mind.  But  if  you  do  not  tell  me 
everything  that  I  ought  to  know  before  to-morrow 
afternoon,  I  shall  insist  upon  your  going  with  me 
to  the  library  ;  and  there  your  grandfather  will 
have  to  decide  upon  your  conduct." 

She  waited  a  few  moments  for  an  answer,  but 
none  came.  Then  she  opened  her  desk  and  be- 
gan to  write  letters,  and  Violet,  finding  herself 


VIOLET'S  DILEMMA.  177 

tacitly  dismissed,  ran  away  to  her  own  room, 
where  she  cried  herself  sick,  and  was  unable  to 
come  down  to  dinner.  Colonel  Schuyler,  as  it 
happened,  dined  away  from  home  that  day ;  so 
Mrs.  Weldon  took  a  solitary  meal,  with  no  cheer- 
ful thoughts  to  atone  for  her  lack  of  company. 
12 


178      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 


CHAPTER    XL 

THE   WRONG   CONFESSED. 

THE  real  culprits,  meanwhile,  had  made 
their  way  home  without  any  difficulty. 
When  they  had  got  a  safe  distance  from  Colonel 
Schuyler's  grounds,  and  discovered  that  there 
was  really  no  one  in  pursuit,  Sydney  gave  an 
account  of  his  adventure,  to  the  unbounded 
amazement  of  his  companions. 

"Joe  Bingham  says  that  dog's  a  real  blood- 
hound," exclaimed  Charlie.  "  I  can't  see  why 
he  didn't  tear  you  to  pieces.  If  I  had  known 
what  was  going  on  —  good  Lord  !  " 

He  stopped,  quite  overcome  with  the  bare 
idea. 

"  Don't  swear,"  said  Frank,  coolly.  "  It's  all 
over  now,  and  nobody's  hurt.  I  say,  what  a  bully 
girl  it  was,  though,  and  what  luck  that  she  hap- 
•^ened  to  be  around  !  " 

"  You   may  say  that,"   Sydney  retor+ed.     "  I 


THE    WRONG    CONFESSED.  179 

wonder  what  would  have  become  of  me  if  she 
hadn't  come  when  she  did.  I  was  half  choked 
with  that  great  beast  lying  on  me,  though  he 
didn't  bite,  I'll  say  that  for  him.  He  only  held 
me  down." 

"  It's  just  a  miracle,  nothing  shorter,"  said 
Charlie,  unable  to  get  over  his  astonishment. 
"  I  don't  know  how  it  was,  but  I  felt  sure  some- 
thing was  going  to  happen,  when  you  kept 
dawdling  so.  I  was  never  so  miserable  in  my 
life  ;  and  I  can  tell  you  what  —  it's  the  last  time 
I  shall  go  in  for  this  sort  of  a  lark.  It  don't 
pay." 

"  Shake  hands  on  that,"  Sydney  responded, 
promptly.  "  It's  the  first  time  with  me,  and  it's 
the  last,  you  bet.  I  had  a  pretty  good  chance  to 
get  ashamed  of  myself  to-night,  and  I  wouldn't 
feel  so  cheap  again  for  all  the  fruit  that  ever 
grew.  As  to  that  bag  of  plums,  you  and  Frank 
can  do  what  you  like  with  my  share.  I  don't 
want  'em." 

"  O,  pooh !  that's  nonsense,"  Frank  exclaimed. 
"  What's  the  use  of  making  such  a  fuss  over  a 
little  bit  of  fun,  when  it's  all  over  and  done,  and 
nobody  hurt?  It's  all  stuil"  about  your  not  taking 


I  So      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

your  share  of  the  plums.  You  will  take  'em, 
and  eat  'em,  too." 

"  Not  if  I  know  it,"  was  Sydney's  determined 
answer.  "  I  wish  I  could  put  'em  back  on  the 
tree  —  I'd  almost  risk  the  dog  again  for  the  sake 
of  doing  it.  But  if  I  can't  do  that,  I  can  keep 
them  out  of  my  mouth,'  at  any  rate  ;  and  I  will, 
too.  I  wouldn't  eat  one  of  them  for  a  horse  and 
saddle." 

"  That's  all  highfalutin  nonsense,"  Frank  re- 
turned, in  disgust.  And  Charlie  protested  equally 
against  such  a  ridiculous  notion,  as  he  called  it. 
But  Sydney  was  not  to  be  moved  from  his  deter- 
mination. The  idea  of  eating  any  of  the  stolen 
fruit  —  although  it  was  certainly  stolen  for  that 
purpose,  and  he  himself  had  been  the  thief — 
was  altogether  disgusting  to  him  now.  He  could 
not  forget  the  look  and  tone  with  which  Violet 
had  said,  — 

"  It  is  not  a  gentlemanly  thing,  to  say  the  least 
of  it,  to  be  robbing  orchards." 

Neither  could  he  forget  the  suffocating  sense 
of  shame  which  he  felt  when  he  lay  at  the  dog's 
mercy  ;  the  humiliation  of  owing  his  release  to  a 
gill ;  the  miserable  dread  of  being  openly  dis- 
graced, from  which  she  had  delivered  him.  To 


THE    WRONG    CONFESSED.  il 

eat  any  of  those  plums  now  would  have  been  a 
meanness  worse  than  the  stealing  of  them,  he 
thought ;  and  he  stuck  to  his  resolution,  in  spite 
of  all  that  his  companions  could  say. 

It  ended  in  their  carrying  off  the  bag,  —  Frank 
declaring  that  /ze  was  not  "  too  virtuous  for  cakes 
and  ale,"  —  while  Sydney  stole  into  his  father's 
house  again,  empty-handed  as  he  had  left  it,  and 
wishing  with  all  his  heart  that  he  had  never  left 
it  at  all. 

He  was  more  fortunate  than  Violet  in  his  re- 
turn, for  no  one  had  missed  him,  or  dreamed  of 
his  absence  ;  and,  except  for  his  own  uncomfort- 
able consciousness  of  what  had  happened,  there 
was  nothing  at  all  to  disturb  him. 

His  father  and  mother  were  just  as  kind  as 
usual  at  the  breakfast  tahle  next  morning ;  Laura 
rattled  on  without  the  slightest  suspicion  of  his 
having  a  secret ;  and  Archie,  and  Fan,  and  Flos- 
sy —  all  the  little  fry  —  admired  their  big  brother 
as  serenely  as  ever. 

"Have  a  corn  muffin  for  your  lunch?"  said 
Laura,  pushing  away  her  breakfast  plate,  and 
looking  about  the  table  to  see  what  was  most  de- 
sirable for  a  lunch  basket.  "  I'll  butter  you  some 
while  they're  nice  and  hot  —  shall  I  ?  " 


1 82      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

"  I  can  do  it  myself,"  he  answered,  rather  un- 
graciously, with  the  feeling  that  he  didn't  deserve 
any  special  attention.  "  You  needn't  trouble." 

"  I  don't  intend  to,"  she  retorted,  opening  the 
muffins,  and  shutting  them  up  again  with  a  lump 
of  butter  to  melt  inside.  "  Flossy,  run  and  fetch 
me  his  lunch  box,  that's  a  darling." 

And  Flossy  dropped  her  own  muffin,  half 
eaten,  while  she  ran  willingly  to  do  the  errand  ; 
little  Fan  proffered  contributions  of  bread  and 
butter  and  cold  ham,  and  Mrs.  Guilford  suggested 
apple  pie  and  cheese  from  the  pantry.  x 

"  If  they  only  knew,"  Sydney  thought,  remorse- 
fully, "  how  little  I  deserve  to  be  waited  on  and 
coddled !  " 

But  they  did  not  know,  and  he  had  to  put  up 
with  it,  even  to  Archie's  toddling  off,  and  coming 
back  with  a  big  purple  plum  squeezed  up  in  his 
little  fat  hand,  which  he  insisted  upon  adding  to 
the  lunch. 

"  Murphy  give  it  to  Archie  boy  ;  Archie  boy 
keep  it  for  buclder  Tidney  —  nice  big  p'um,"  he 
announced  with  his  little  complacent  air ;  and  it 
was  impossible  to  refuse  it  without  hurting  the 
dear  little  fellow's  feelings,  though  Sydney  thought 


THE    WRONG    CONFESSED.  183 

he  had  never  felt  so  small  in  his  life  before  as 
when  he  accepted  it. 

The  sense  of  shame  haunted  him  all  day  long. 
He  had  no  means  of  knowing  the  trouble  he  had 
made  for  Violet,  and  never  dreamed,  indeed,  that 
for  the  sake  of  shielding  him  she  would  subject 
herself  to  blame.  But  he  could  not  put  aside  his 
uncomfortable  remembrance  of  tile  humiliating 
position  in  which  he  had  been  placed.  To  have 
to  owe  his  release  from  actual  bodily  danger  to  a 
girl,  and,  worse  still,  to  have  to  accept  her  prom- 
ise that  she  would  hide  his  fault,  and  save  him 
from  its  consequences  —  that  stung  his  pride,  and 
made  his  face  burn  with  shame  twenty  times 
during  the  day. 

Frank  and  Charlie  could  not  enter  into  his  feel- 
ings, and  were  provoked  with  him,  Frank  es- 
pecially, for  "  making  such  a  fuss  about  nothing," 
when  he  again,  and  angrily,  refused  the  fruit 
which  they  urged  upon  him  at  recess. 

"  What  the  dickens  are  we  going  to  do  with 
the  stuff?  "  Charlie  said.  "  We  can't  use  it  up, 
and  it's  a  pity  to  have  it  spoil  on  our  hands." 

"Who  cares?"  answered  Sydney,  savagely; 
"  let  it  spoil ;  pitch  it  into  the  river ;  give  it  to 
Micky  Flinn's  pig  —  what  do  you  come  bother- 


184      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

i 

ing  me  about  it  for,  when  I  told  you  I  never 
wanted  to  hear  of  it  again  ?  " 

"  You're  a  nice  fellow  to  take  all  the  fun  out 
of  a  thing,"  Frank  grumbled.  "  What  fools  we 
were,  Charlie,  to  let  him  have  anything  to  do 
with  it !  I'll  know  better  next  time,  you  bet  I 
will." 

"  And  so  will  I,"  retorted  Sydney.  "  You  may 
bet  high  on  that." 

And  he  stalked  off,  more  than  ever  angry  and 
disgusted  with  himself,  and  gave  away  the  best 
part  of  the  lunch  which  Laura  had  put  up  so 
nicely,  to  a  couple  of  tramps  that  happened  to 
be  plodding  past  the  play-ground  just  then.  He 
had  no  appetite  for  food,  and  no  heart  for  play ; 
and  it  was  impossible  to  study  with  his  thoughts 
so  distracted.  So  the  day  went  by  in  a  very 
dismal  and  profitless  fashion  ;  and  he  came  home 
again  cross,  tired,  and  generally  "  out  of  sorts." 

Laura,  on  the  contrary,  was  in  the  best  of 
spirits,  for  a  piece  of  unexpected  good  fortune 
had  happened  to  "  Ambo."  Mrs.  Delancy  had 
offered  them  the  vise  of  the  school-room  for  the 
fair,  and  had  promised  several  important  con- 
tributions, in  addition  to  her  personal  help  in 
arrangements. 


THE    WRONG    CONFESSED.  185 

''All  the  ice-cream,  for  one  thing,"  said  Laura, 
triumphantly.  "Just  think  of  that,  Sydney! 
You  know  what  quantities  of  ice-cream  people 
always  eat  at  fairs ;  and  then  she  says  there  is  no 
reason  why  we  shouldn't  have  a  floral  temple, 
and  make  a  great  deal  of  money  by  selling  bou- 
quets. She  will  fix  it  all  beautifully  for  us,  just 
as  they  do  in  New  York  fairs." 

"And  who'll  buy  the  flowers,  I  wonder?" 
asked  Sydney,  contemptuously.  "  As  if  eve'ry- 
body  didn't  have  flowers  of  their  own  !  " 

"  No  matter,"  Laura  returned,  merrily.  "  The 
floral  temple  will  be  exceedingly  ornamental,  at 
any  rate,  and  we  shall  sell  the  bouquets  cheap. 
Lots  of  people  will  buy  them,  you'll  see.  And, 
O,  Syd,  the  nicest  of  all  is,  she  says  it's  an  ex- 
cellent thing  to  use  the  money  for  Janie  ;  and 
she  thinks  we  will  have  enough  to  make  a  fair 
start,  and  if  Janie  improves,  and  it  turns  out 
well,  she  will  help  us  to  keep  her  at  the  institute 
as  long  as  it's  necessary.  Now  isn't  that  splen- 
did? I  say,  Syd,  isn't  it  worth  while  to  be 
an  honorary  member  of  such  a  flourishing  so- 
ciety ? " 

Laura  was  so  brimming  over  with  her  happy 
excitement,  that  she  did  not  see  at  first  how  en- 


1 86      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

tirely  unsympathetic  Sydney  was.  She  sci/:cd 
him  by  the  shoulders,  and  spun  him.  round  in  an 
impromptu  waltz,  and  did  not  discover  until  he 
shook  her  off,  more  roughly  than  was  necessary, 
that  he  was  not  as  pleased  as  she  was  with  so 
much  good  news. 

"  I  wish  you  would  let  me  alone !  "  he  snapped 
•out,  so  sharply  that  Laura  opened  her  eyes  with 
amazement. 

'"'  Why,  Sydney  !  what  have  I  done  to  you  ? 
How  can  you  speak  so  crossly?"  she  exclaimed, 
hurt  and  surprised. 

"  You  are  always  so  rude  !  Do  you  suppose  I 
want  to  be  pulled  to  pieces  because  you've  lost 
your  wits  about  that  ridiculous  fair?  I'm  sick  of 
the  whole  concern.  " 

And  -he  slammed  out  of  the  room,  leaving 
Laura  utterly  confounded  by  such  an  uncalled-for 
outburst.  It  Was  so  unlike  him  usually  that  she 
was  frightened  for  him,  even  more  than  hurt  or 
offended  on  her  own  account. 

"Something  has  gone  wrong;  that  is  plain," 
she  thought.  "  He  would  never  treat  me  so  if 
he  had  not  been  dreadfully  put  out,  some  way. 
I  wish  I  knew  what  was  the  matter." 

It  checked  all  her  merriment,  and  made  her 


THE    WRONG    CONFESSED.  187 

cross  in  turn  to  Flossy,  who  was  full  of  curiosity 
about  the  floral  temple,  and  asked  questions  until 
Laura  fairly  drove  her  away  with  "  short  an- 
swers." Whereupon  she  went  to  her  mother  and 
complained  that  "  everybody  was  cross  ; "  a  whole- 
sale statement,  that  Mrs.  Guilford  declined  to 
accept  without  further  evidence.  But  she  found 
it  borne  out,  to  a  certain  extent,  by  the  dull  /aces 
which  Sydney  and  Laura  brought,  contrary  to 
custom,  to  the  merry  tea-table. 

Sydney  did  not  feel  any  happier  for  having 
been  rude  and  unkind  to  his  sister,  and  Laura's 
anxiety  increased  when  she  saw  how  silent  and 
sullen  he  was  at  the  table.  She  had  her  little 
sense  of  injury,  too  —  "/  haven't  vexed  him,  and 

he   needn't   treat  me  so  !  "  which  made   her   de- 

• 

termine  that  she  wouldn't  speak  first. 

So,  as  far  as  they  were  concerned,  the  tea  was 
rather  unsociable.  The  little  ones  chattered  as 
usual,  however,  and  the  doctor  had  a  funny  story 
to  tell  about  a  Bobtown  kitten,  which  had  tor- 
mented him  for  an  hour,  whining  and  mewing 
somewhere  near  him,  but  utterly  invisible.  He 
looked  all  about  the  carriage,  under  the  seat,  and 
outside,  to  see  if  it  had  been  tied  on  behind  by 
some  of  the  mischievous  Flinn  tribe.  But  find 


l88      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

it  he  couldn't ;  till  at  last  a  sudden  inspiration 
made  him  thrust  his  hand  into  his  coat  pocket, 
and  there  was  the  kitten  ! 

'•  Some  of  Katie  Flinn's  capers,"  laughed  the 
doctor.  "  I'm  just  as  sure  of  it  as  she  would 
be  of  a  whipping  if  her  mother  found  it  out. 
She'll  shake  in  her  shoes  the  next  time  she 
sees  jne." 

"  You  won't  tell  her  mother,  though,"  cried 
Fan,  confidently. 

"  Why  not  ?  Don't  you  think  she  deserves  a 
whipping?" 

"  No,  indeed,"  put  in  Flossy,  saucily.  "  You 
don't,  either,  papa.  I  heard  you  say  yourself, 
little  girls  oughtn't  never  to  be  whipped." 

"  I'll  have  to  change  my  mind  some  da}',  for 
your  especial  benefit,"  her  father  retorted,  "  if 
you  don't  take  better  care  of  your  negatives." 

"What's  negatives?"  Flossy  queried,  undis- 
turbed by  such  a  prospect. 

"  And  where's  the  kitten?  "  Fan  put  in,  eager 
for  the  rest  of  the  stoiy.  "  Why  didn't  you 
bring  it  to  me?  " 

Between  correcting  Flossy's  grammar,  and  tell- 
ing Fan  of  a  little  sick  girl,  who  had  been  made 
happy  by  the  presentation  of  die  kitten,  the  doc- 


THE    WRONG    CONFESSED.  189 

tor  had  no  time  to  notice  how  silent  the  two 
older  ones  were.  Mrs.  Guilford  was  more  ob- 
servant ;  and  after  tea  she  took  occasion  to  speak 
to  Laura. 

"  Is  anything  wrong  with  you  and  Sydney?  I 
thought  you  did  not  either  of  you  look  very  hap- 
py to-night,"  she  said,  as  they  stood  alone  for  a 
minute  in  the  dining-room.  % 

"  I'm  sure  I  don't  know  what  ails  Sydney," 
Laura  answered,  promptly.  "  I  was  telling  him 
what  Mrs.  Delancy  said,  and,  just  for  a  frolic,  I 
took  hold  of  him  and  wliii'led  him  round,  —  as 
we  often  play  with  each  other,  you  know,  mam- 
ma, —  and  he  got  angry  all  at  once." 

"  Perhaps  you  hurt  him,"  her  mother  sug- 
gested. 

"  O,  no,  mamma ;  that  was  impossible.  I 
couldn't  have  hurt  him,  and  I  had  not  said  the 
least  thing  to  vex  him,  either.  But  he  pushed 
me  off  so  roughly,  and  said  I  was  rude,  and  I 
had  lost  my  senses  about  the  fair,  and  he  was 
sick  of  it  all.  And  so  he  went  out  of  the  room, 
and  he  hasn't  spoken  to  me  since." 

There  was  a  little  hurt  tone  in  Laura's  words, 
but  no  temper,  and  no  exaggeration.  Mrs.  Gull- 
ford  saw  that  she  had  stated  the  case  fairly,  and 


190      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

it  puzzled  her  as  much  as  it  had  surprised  Laura. 
Sydney  was  not  apt  to  take  offence  at  play,  even 
if  it  were  a  little  rough ;  and  she  could  only  ac- 
count for  his  conduct  by  supposing  that  some- 
thing had  happened  at  school  to  arouse  his  tem- 
per ;  something  which  was  no  trifle,  too,  for  he 
was  not  naturally  hot-tempered  or  quarrelsome. 

She  wajched  him  quietly  through  the  evening, 
without  seeming  to  do  so,  and  she  grew  more 
convinced  that  something  was  amiss  with  him. 
It  was  a  chilly  September  evening,  and  a  bright 
little  wood  fire  had  been  kindled  in  the  parlor. 
It  crackled  and  blazed  away  in  the  cheeriest 
fashion,  and  the  rest  gathered  around  it,  admiring 
the  dancing  flames,  and  enjoying  the  pleasant 
warmth,  as  people  always  do  with  the  first  fire 
of  the  season.  But  Sydney  kept  aloof,  and  bent 
his  head  over  a  book  at  the  other  side  of  the 
room. 

"  The  fire  was  too  hot,  it  made  his  head  ache," 
he  said  ;  and  by  and  by  he  slipped  away,  and 
went  up  stairs  to  his  own  room,  not  because  of 
the  heat  or  a  headache,  but  because  he  felt  so  ill 
at  ease  and  unhappy,  that  he  could  not  bear  to 
stay  where  the  light,  bright  room  and  cheerful 
talk  were  in  such  contrast  with  himself.  He  sat 


THE    WRONG    CONFKSSKD.  19! 

down  by  the  window  and  watched  the  moon 
shining  round  and  full  above  the  trees :  it  shone 
just  so  last  night,  when  the  dog  flew  at  him 
in  the  orchard ;  and  Sydney  laid  his  head  on 
the  window-sill  and  groaned  as  he  thought 
of  it. 

Some  boys,  reading  this,  will  laugh  at  him, 
perhaps,  and  wonder  how  he  could  worry  him- 
self so  about  such"  a  small  matter.  Frank  Fisher, 
though  he  was  not  a  bad  boy  himself,  as  boys  go, 
considered  him  "  a  muff"  for  taking  it  to  heart. 
"  It  was  a  pretty  rough  scrape,  but  he  got  jolly 
well  out  of  it ;  why  does  he  make  a  muss  about 
it  now?"  he  observed,  philosophically.  And 
Frank  himself  would  never  have  looked  upon 
it  in  any  other  light  than  as  a  good  story  to 
tell  by  and  by,  when  the  risk  of  telling  it  was 
over. 

But  Sydney  had  been  brought  up  with  differ- 
ent ideas.  There  was  no  reservation  in  favor  of 
plum  trees  or  pear  trees  in  the  eighth  command- 
ment ;  and,  though  he  had  suffered  himself  for  a 
while  to  believe  it  was  no  stealing,  he  could  not 
help  coining  back  now  to  his  first  convictions. 
He  had  been  a  thief,  sneaking  through  the  dark 
to  take  what  did  not  belong  to  him,  and  what  he 


192       A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

would  not  have  dared  to  meddle  with  in  day- 
light ;  he  had  been  caught  in  the  act  by  a  dog ; 
he  had  been  released  by  a  girl,  who,  though  she 
pitied  him,  must  of  course  despise  him  in  her 
heart ;  and  now  he  was  at  home  again,  acting 
a  lie  to  everybody,  and  taking  kindness  which  he 
didn't  deserve,  and  wouldn't  get,  if  the  truth  was 
known. 

These  were  the  simple  facts  of  the  case ;  and, 
to  a  boy  whose  home  training  and  influence  had 
all  been  based  upon  the  principle  of  uncompro- 
mising truth  and  honesty,  they  furnished  reason 
enough  for  shame  and  regret.  He  felt  the  bur- 
den of  a  guilty  secret,  and  it  was  a  most  unusual 
and  disagreeable  burden.  Nobody  had  secrets 
at  the  brown  cottage  ;  the  whole  atmosphere  was 
one  of  mutual  confidence  and  sympathy  ;  and  he 
felt  himself  shut  out  from  the  rest  by  a  conscious- 
ness which  they  could  not  share.  Confession  of 
the  whole  matter  would  have  been  a  relief;  but 
that  seemed  hardly  fair  to  Frank  and  Charlie  ; 
and,  besides,  what  good  would  it  do,  now  that 
all  was  over,  and  no  help  for  it,  to  make  his 
mother  unhappy  by  telling  her?  No,  it  was  bet- 
ter to  keep  it  to  himself  now,  he  thought ;  and 


THE    WRONG    CONFESSED.  193 

just  as  he  reached  this  conclusion,  the  door  opened 
softly,  and  his  mother  came  in. 

She  had  left  Laura  playing  chess  with  her 
father  in  the  parlor,  and  gone  up  to  the  nursery, 
where  Archie  was  already  asleep,  to  give  Faa 
and  Flossy  the  u  kiss  in  bed,"  without  which 
they  were  never  willing  to  shut  their  eyes.  Syd- 
ney's room  lay  across  the  hall ;  and,  having  missed 
him  from  the  parlor,  she  went  to  look  for  him, 
and  to  find  out  what  had  gone  wrong  with  him. 
For  she  was  afraid  that  some  trouble  lay  under 
his  rudeness  to  Laura,  and  his  dejected  attitude, 
as  she  came  into  the  room,  convinced  her  that 
she  was  not  mistaken. 

He  did  not  hear  the  door  open,  and  he  gave 
a  nervous  start  as  she  laid  her  hand  on  his 
shoulder. 

"  Don't  be  alarmed,"  with  her  loving  smile. 
"  It  is  only  mamma,  come  to  look  for  a  runaway. 
Have  you  really  a  headache,  dear  ?  " 

"  Yes,  mamma  —  and  a  heartache,  too." 

The  words  came  out  involuntarily.  He  had 
not  intended  to  say  anything  like  that,  and  he 
was  frightened  as  soon  as  he  had  spoken.  But 
he  could  not  take  it  back,  for  she  answered  at 
once,  — 

13 


194      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

"  I  was  afraid  of  it,  dear.  I  have  seen  in  your 
face  all  the  evening  that  something  was  wrong. 
What  is  it  all  about?" 

"  Don't  ask  me,"  he  said,  hastily.  "  I  didn't 
mean  to  tell  you  —  please  don't  ask  me  any 
questions,  mamma." 

"  But  how  can  I  help  it?  If  you  have  a  heart- 
ache, as  you  say,  your  mother  is  the  one  to  cure 
it.  I  must  ask  you  questions  till  I  know  what 
the  trouble  is." 

"  I  oughtn't  to  have  said  anything  about  it," 
he  replied,  dejectedly.  "  If  you  insist  upon  it,  I 
shall  have  to  tell  you.  But  it  will  only  make  you 
unhappy,  mamma." 

"  I  insist  upon  it,  at  all  events.  Whatever 
makes  my  children  unhappy,  it  is  my  right  to 
know,"  was  her  answer.  And,  in  spite  of  every- 
thing, Sydney  felt  glad  that  she  would  compel 
him  to  tell.  It  was  a  relief  already,  and  still 
more  so  when  the  whole  stoiy  was  poured  out ; 
he  sitting  on  the  floor  at  her  feet,  with  his  head 
in  her  lap,  and  her  gentle  hand  soothing  with 
its  mere  touch  the  throbbing  pain  in  his  temples. 

She  did  not  take  it  away,  and  her  voice  lost 
none  of  its  tenderness,  even  when  she  knew  what 
he  had  done,  though  Sydney  knew  very  well  that 


THE   WRONG   CONFESSED.  195 

she  was  not  indifferent,  or  inclined  to  make  light 
of  the  matter. 

"  I  am  very  glad  you  have  told  me  all  this 
yourself,"  was  the  first  thing  she  said.  "  If  I  had 
found  it  out  in  any  other  way,  it  would  have  been 
a  great  deal  harder  to  bear." 

"  And  it's  hard  enough  as  it  is,  mamma  —  isn't 
it?"  he  put  in,  sorrowfully. 

"  Yes,  it  hurts  me,  Sydney ;  I  can't  deny  that. 
I  would  never  have  supposed  that  you  could  let 
yourself  forget  so  easily  things  that  you  have  been 
taught  from  your  cradle.  You  have  often  heard 
your  father  say  —  " 

"  O,  mamma,  I  know,"  he  interrupted,  with 
keen  distress.  "  My  father  has  said  everything  — 
so  have  you  —  that  ought  to  have  made  me  know 
better.  And  I  did  know  better  all  the  while  — 
that's  the  worst  of  it !  " 

He  buried  his  face  in  her  dress  to  hide  the 
tears  that  he  could  not  control,  and  she  drew  him 
closer  to  her,  pitying  and  loving  him  the  more 
for  the  pain  that  she  knew  he  ought  to  suffer. 
It  was  hard  to  feel  that  he  had  deliberately 
planned,  and  deceitfully  carried  out,  such  a  piece 
of  folly  and  wickedness  —  the  boy  she  had  felt 
such  pride  and  confidence  in !  But  it  might  have 


196      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

been  worse  —  so  much  worse  !  and  through  and 
above  all  the  pain  which  his  fault  caused,  her 
heart  swelled  with  thankfulness  for  his  confession 
and  repentance. 

It  was  a  long,  tender,  earnest  talk  that  they  had 
together,  while  the  moonlight  lay  white  on  the 
floor,  and  the  shadows  of  the  rustling  leaves  out- 
side danced  to  and  fro  upon  it.  The  game  of 
chess  was  finished,  and  the  doctor  took  his  new 
magazine,  while  Laura  went  up  to  bed,  wonder- 
ing greatly  what  mamma  and  Sydney  were  doing 
so  long,  and  if  anything  dreadful  really  had  hap- 
pened. She  longed  to  go  into  his  room,  where 
she  heard  the  murmur  of  their  voices ;  but  she 
was  too  well  bred  to  intrude  upon  a  private  con- 
versation, and  she  had  to  content  herself  to  wait 
till  she  should  be  taken  into  confidence. 

Sydney,  meanwhile,  was  trying  to  make  up  his 
mind  to  do  a  very  difficult  thing.  His  mother 
had  told  him  that  as  Colonel  Schuyler  was  the 
person  who  had  been  injured,  he  was  the  one  to 
whom  confession  and  apology  were  due.  His  own 
conscience  told  him  the  same  thing,  but  it  was 
no  easy  matter  to  accept  the  conclusion  with  its 
consequences.  Telling  his  mother,  alone  in  the 
moonlight,  with  her  gentle  hand  upon  his  head, 


THE   WRONG    CONFESSED.  197 

and  her  loving  heart  to  pity  and  forgive,  even 
while  it  blamed  him,  was  an  easy  matter  by  com- 
parison. To  walk  up  to  Colonel  Schuyler,  whom 
he  only  knew  by  Charlie's  description,  as  a 
u  crusty  old  fellow,  that  looked  cross  as  Ajax," 
and  say  to  him,  "I've  been  robbing  your  orchard, 
sir,"  —  that  was  a  different  thing.  lie  did  not 
know  how  to  bring  himself  to  it. 

But  one  cannot  escape  the  consequences  of  a 
fault  committed.  They  must  be  accepted  in  one 
shape  or  another ;  and  so  his  mother  told  him. 

"  You  have  done  wrong,  and  the  consciousness 
of  it  makes  you  unhappy.  It  always  will  do  so 
until  you  have  made  what  amends  you  can  by 
confession.  Remember  that  a  fault  confessed  is 
half  redressed  ;  and  the  relief  to  your  own  mind, 
from  the  sense  of  guilt,  and  the  dread  of  discov- 
ery, will  more  than  balance  the  humiliation  of 
confession." 

"  I  don't  think  there  is  any  danger  of  my  being 
found  out,"  said  Sydney,  evading  the  question. 
"  She  promised  —  the  girl,  you  know  —  not  to 
speak  of  it.  Of  course  I  didn't  ask  her.  She 
promised  of  her  own  accord." 

"  It  was  very  generous  of  her,"  Mrs.  Guilford 
answered,  "  though  I  hardly  think  she  had  a 


198      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

right  to  keep  such  a  secret.  And  it  seems  hardly 
possible  that  she  will  be  able  to.  Suppose  she 
was  seen  by  some  of  the  family  when  she  went 
back  to  the  house,  —  and  it  is  very  likely  that  she 
was,  —  how  could  she  help  betraying  you?  She 
would  have  to  account  for  being  out  of  doors  at 
such  an  hour;  and,  with  the  best  intentions  to 
protect  you,  I  don't  really  see  how  she  could. 
You  have  told  her  your  name,  and  if  she  is  ques- 
tioned about  it,  it  will  be  the  most  natural  thing 
for  her  to  tell  the  whole  story.  At  this  very  mo- 
ment Colonel  Schuyler  may  know  that  his  or- 
chard was  robbed,  and  that  Sydney  Guilford  was 
the  boy  who  did  it." 

This  was  a  new  view  of  the  case  to  Sydney, 
and  a  new  danger  that  he  had  not  at  all  appre- 
hended. He  had  only  remembered,  gratefully 
and  admiringly,  Violet's  generous  kindness,  and 
it  had  never  occurred  to  him  that  she  might  be 
compelled,  for  her  own  sake,  to  tell  what  she  had 
done.  It  suggested  a  possibility  that,  more  than 
any  other  consideration,  helped  him  to  accept  his 
mother's  unpalatable  advice.  Violet  might  be  in 
trouble  on  his  account ;  her  grandfather  might 
have  seen  her,  and  been  angry  ;  perhaps  she  had 
refused,  in  spite  of  all,  to  tell  his  name,  and  at 


THE    WRONG   CONFESSED.  199 

this  very  time  she  might  be  in  disgrace  for  keep- 
ing her  promise. 

He  could  not  tell  how  near  the  truth  this  ran- 
dom supposition  was,  but  the  mere  thought  of  it 
sent  the  blood  to  his  cheeks,  and  made  his  heart 
beat  faster.  Whatever  happened  to  him,  if  there 
was  the  shadow  of  a  possibility  that  Violet  would 
be  blamed,  he  must  prevent  that  at  once. 

"  I  will  go  to-morrow  and  tell  him  all  about 
it,"  he  decided,  without  a  moment's  hesitation. 
"  You  are  always  right,  mamma,  and  I  will  do 
just  what  you  tell  me.  I  only  wish  I  had  come 
to  you  a  little  sooner." 

"  I  wish  you  had  ;  "  and  she  kissed  him,  com- 
passionately. "  It  will  be  hard  for  you,  my  boy, 
but  the  lesson  will  do  you  good.  You  will  not 
be  so  easily  persuaded,  against  your  conscience, 
another  time." 

"  No,  that  I  won't !  "  he  exclaimed,  promptly. 
"  I  shall  know  how  to  '  say  no '  the  next  time. 
But,  mamma,"  with  a  sudden  recollection,  "  ought 
I  to  let  it  out  that  Frank  and  Charlie  were  in  it? 
That  seems  a  sort  of  mean  thing  to  do." 

"Did  you  tell  'Violet'  that  they  were  with 
you?" 

"  O,  no  ;  and  she  didn't  seem  to  suspect  there 


2OO      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

was  any  one  else.  They  were  not  in  the  orchard 
at  all,  you  know." 

"  Then  there  will  be  no  occasion  to  speak  of 
them,  I  suppose  ;  though  it  is  hardly  fair,  either, 
that  you  should  bear  all  the  blame." 

"  It  doesn't  make  much  difference,"  he  said, 
with  a  sigh  of  resignation.  "  If  I've  got  to  face 
the  music  at  all,  I'd  just  as  soon  do  it  alone. 
They'd  make  a  great  row  about  it  if  they  knew, 
and  they  wouldn't  consent ;  so  I  think  I  had  bet- 
ter not  tell  them  that  I  mean  to  see  the  colonel." 

"  Are  you  sure  you  could  not  persuade  them 
to  go  with  you  ?  " 

Sydney  shook  his  head.  "  Not  much.  You 
see,  mamma,  they  don't  think  it's  any  harm,  and 
they  would  laugh  at  the  notion  of  going  up  there 
to  get  blown  up  by  the  old  colonel,  and  then  do- 
ing the  same  sort  of  thing  again  when  they  got  a 
good  chance.  You  don't  know  how  boys  talk." 

"  I  am  glad  there  is  one  boy,  at  least,  who 
knows  the  difference  between  right  and  wrong," 
said  Mrs.  Guilford.  "  It  would  make  me  unhap- 
py, more  unhappy  than  I  can  tell  you,  Sydney, 
if  I  could  think  you  would  ever  come  to  make 
light  of  any  dishonesty.  It  is  the  only  comfort 


THE    WRONG    CONFESSED.  2OI 

I  have  in  this  affair,  that  you  are  really  ashamed 
and  sorry." 

"  I'm  glad  you  can  find  any  comfort  r.t  all  in 
it,  mamma,"  was  Sydney's  penitent  answer ; 
"I'm  certainly  ashamed  and  sorry  enough,  if  that 
gives  you  an}',  but  I  wish  it  was  only  I  that  had 
to  be  ashamed." 

"  Well,  we  will  not  talk  of  it  any  more,"  she 
said,  gently.  "  There  is  just  one  thing  I  want  to 
remind  you  of — you  can  guess  what  I  mean?" 

He  knew,  by  her  reverent,  earnest  tone,  and 
bent  his  head,  silently  consenting. 

"  Every  fault  that  has  to  seek  forgiveness  from 
men,  needs  it  still  more  from  God.  It  is  1 1  is 
laws  that  have  first  been  broken,  and  only  His 
pardon  that  can  really  free  us  from  the  sin." 

u  Yes,  mamma,  I  know  that,"  — very  low,  and 
sorrowfully,  as  she  paused  for  a  moment. 

"Well,  then,  we  will  say  our  prayers  together, 
and  ask  for  this  forgiveness  first." 

And  her  tender  tone  and  touch  drew  him  to 
his  knees  beside  her,  while  she  prayed  for  him 
earnestly,  fervently,  out  of  the  very  depths  of  her 
loving,  mother's  heart.  She  asked  pardon  and 
peace  for  this  transgression,  that  he  might  be 
"  cleansed  from  all  sin,"  and  grow  wise  and 


2O2      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

strong  to  resist  temptation  ;  wise  through  seeking 
help  and  guidance  from  the  One  whose  helping 
hand  is  always  ready  if  we  will  but  see  it,  and 
strong  through  knowing  his  own  weakness  to  do 
anything  good,  or  escape  anything  evil,  without 
His  grace.  She  asked  for  the  sons  of  other 
mothers,  that  they  might  not  be  left  in  tempta- 
tion, but  taught  to  choose  good  instead  of  evil ; 
and  she  thanked  God  that  He  had  kept  her  son, 
"  that  was  so  dear,"  from  the  worse  sin  of  deceit 
and  falsehood,  and  led  him  to  confession  and 
repentance. 

Her  voice  trembled  with  tears  through  the 
whispered  pleading,  and  Sydney  was  utterly 
broken  down.  He  could  not  answer  her  good- 
night kiss  and  "  God  bless  you,"  for  his  heart 
was  too  full.  But  his  mother  knew  that  he  would 
not  soon  forget  the  impression  of  this  hour. 


THE    WRONG    REDRESSED.  203 


CHAPTER    XII. 

THE   WRONG    REDRESSED. 

IT  was  afternoon  the  next  day  before  Colonel 
Schuyler  came  home.  He  had  gone  to  New 
York,  and  been  detained  unexpectedly  over  night. 
For  the  first  time  in  her  life,  Violet  was  glad  of 
his  absence,  and  for  the  first  time  in  her  life,  when 
she  came  to  meet  him  after  a  journey,  her  step 
was  slow,  and  her  face  had  no  welcome  in  it. 

She  tried  to  smile  and  look  glad,  but  her  heavy 
eyes  and  pale  cheeks  spoiled  the  effort ;  and  her 
grandfather,  knowing  the  little  face  so  well  in  all 
its  changes,  saw  at  a  glance  that  something  was 
wrong. 

"  You're  not  looking  well ;  what's  the  matter?" 
he  asked,  with  prompt  anxiety ;  and  Violet's 
heart  sank,  for  she  knew  now  that  there  was  no 
escape  for  her.  Once  he  began  to  question  her, 
what  could  she  do  ?  And  what  could  she  do  in 


204      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

any  case  ?  alas !  for  her  governess  would  surely 
keep  her  word.  She  could  only  falter  out,  — 

"  I  had  a  headache,  grandpapa,  and  I  haven't 
quite  got  rid  of  it." 

"  Young  heads  have  no  business  with  head- 
aches," he  returned.  "  Come  into  the  library 
after  I  am  dressed,  and  tell  me  what  you  have 
been  doing  to  get  a  headache.  Perhaps  I  have 
something  to  show  you  that  will  drive  it  away." 

He  kissed  her,  and  went  up  stairs  to  change  his 
dress,  that  was  dusty  with  railroad  travel.  Violet 
looked  after  him  till  he  was  out  of  sight,  then 
turned  to  Mrs.  Welclon  with  an  imploring  look. 
But  that  lady  shook  her  head. 

"  There  are  three  questions  that  must  be  an- 
swered —  to  me  or  to  your  grandfather,"  she 
said,  decidedly.  "  Where  did  you  go  that  night?. 
What  did  you  do?  Whom  did  you  promise  not 
to  tell  ?  You  can  still  take  your  choice  whether 
you  will  answer  them  to  me  or  to  him.  There  is 
time  enough  before  he  comes  down." 

"  But  will  you  promise  not  to  tell  him  ?  "  ex- 
claimed Violet,  desperately.  "  If  I  answer  to  you, 
will  you  promise  never  to  let  anybody  know?  " 

"  No,  my  dear.  I  cannot  consent  to  make  any 
such  promise.  What  I  do  afterwards  must  depend 


THE    WRONG   REDRESSED.  205 

altogether  upon  the  nature  of  the  thing  you  have 
done.  If  I  find  it  something  that  your  grand- 
father ought  to  know,  I  shall  surely  tell  him." 

Mrs.  Weldon  spoke  coldly,  perhaps  rather 
1  arshly  ;  tut  she  was  surprised  and  displeased 
at  Violet's  obstinacy,  and  had  brought  herself  to 
the  belief  that  there  must  be  some  serious  fault 
at  the  bottom  of  it — something,  indeed,  which 
ought  not  to  be  concealed  from  her  grandfather ; 
and  therefore  she  was  not  willing  to  make  the 
slightest  compromise. 

Violet  turned  away  from  her  in  a  sort  of  sullen 
despair,  half  angry,  half  hurt,  and  "wholly  hope- 
less. "What  is  the  use  of  telling  it  twice?"  she 
said  to  herself;  and  without  answering  her  gov- 
erness, she  went  past  her  into  the  library,  to  wait 
for  her  grandfather.  Mrs.  Weldon  followed  her, 
fully  determined*  now  to  speak  to  Colonel  Schuy- 
ler ;  and  so  the  two  sat  there  silently  until  he 
came  down. 

He  had  a  large  book  in  his  hand,  which  he 
opened  as  he  laid  it  on  the  study  table.  "  Come 
here,  Puss,"  —  taking  a  seat  in  his  arm-chair,  and 
drawing  her  to  his  knee.  "  See  what  these  pic- 
tures will  do  for  your  headache." 

It  was  a  collection  of  charming  "studies"  for 


2O6      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

crayon  drawings  :  the  "  Undine,"  "  L'Indigence," 
"  Evangeline,"  the  "  Mater  Dolorosa,"  the  "  Dead 
Christ ; "  twenty  more  beautiful  and  familiar 
"  heads,"  with  a  number  of  lovely  sketches  be- 
sides ;  —  bits  of  landscape  ;  groups  of  children, 
playing,  reading,  sleeping;  studies  of  flowers 
and  fruit ;  and  bewitching  images  of  fairies,  pix- 
ies, and  "  water-babies,"  with  all  their  fanciful 
surroundings.  A  book  of  treasures  to  Violet, 
who  so  delighted  in  everything  picturesque  and 
artistic ;  but  alas !  spoiled  for  her  now.  She 
turned  over  the  leaves  listlessly ;  there  was  none 
of  the  animation,  the  sparkling  delight,  which 
her  grandfather  had  expected ;  and  he  watched 
her  with  a  surprised  and  disappointed  expression. 

"  There  is  something  more  than  a  headache 
here,"  he  said,  presently,  pushing  the  book  away, 
and  looking  straight  into  Violet's  eyes.  "  What 
is  the  reason,  Puss,  that  you  are  so  pale  and 
dull,  not  pleased  with  what  always  made  you 
happy  before,  not  even  glad  to  see  me  at  home 
again  ?  Come  !  let  us  have  the  whole  story." 

But  Violet  dropped  her  eyelids,  and  had  not  a 
word  to  say.  Her  heart  sank  down  like  a  leaden 
weight.  Her  grandfather  looked  at  Mrs.  Weldon. 

"  Is  she  in  disgrace  ?  "  he  asked,  a  little  sharply. 


THE    WRONG    REDRESSED.  2Oj 

"  What  has  she  been  doing,  that  she  can't  speak 
for  herself? " 

"  That  is  what  I  have  been  trying  for  two  days 
to  find  out,"  Mrs.  Weldon  answered,  gravely. 

"  Two  days  !  There  was  nothing  amiss  when  I 
went  away  yesterday  morning?"  he  questioned. 

"  Only  that  at  one  o'clock  in  the  morning  Vio- 
let had  not  yet  been  in  bed.  And  when  I  found 
her  coming  up  from  below  stairs,  she  refused  ab- 
solutely to  tell  me  where  she  had  been,  or  what 
she  had  been  doing,  away  from  her  room  at  that 
hour  of  night.  I  did  not  think  it  best  to  bring 
the  matter  to  you  immediately  :  I  waited,  hoping 
that  I  could  induce  her  to  explain  her  conduct ; 
but  I  have  to  confess  that  I  have  entirely  failed. 
She  has  given  her  promise  to  some  one —  I  have 
no  means  of  knowing  who  it  is  —  not  to  tell ; 
and  this  is  all  I  can  discover  about  it.  I  am  very 
sorry,"  Mrs.  Weldon  added,  regretfully,  "  to  bring 
Violet  into  trouble,  or  to  give  you  the  impression 
that  she  has  been  doing  wrong.  But  I  could  not 
feel  justified  in  keeping  silence." 

"  Certainly  not :  you  have  done  quite  right." 

Violet  felt,  though  she  did  not  see,  the  stern 
look  that  came  over  his  face  as  he  said  this.  She 
knew  the  close-set  lips,  the  cold,  determined  eyes  ; 


208      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HAH-   REDRESSED. 

and  her  own  drooped  lower,  till  the  long  eye- 
lashes almost  touched  her  cheek.  But  her  grand- 
father did  not  choose  to  let  them  stay  hidden  so. 

"  Look  up,"  he  said,  in  a  tone  that  compelled 
obedience ;  and  Violet  had  to  lift  the  blue  eyes, 
full  of  pitiful  perplexity  and  distress,  to  the  judge 
before  her. 

"  Now,  then,  I  want  to  understand  this  very 
singular  story.  You  did  not  go  to  bed  —  night 
before  last,  was  it?  —  till  after  midnight.  Why 
was  that,  to  begin  with  ?  " 

Violet  explained  it,  tremulously  ;  the  new  book, 
the  moonlight ;  she  was  not  sleepy ;  she  did  not 
think  grandpapa  would  be  angry. 

"  Very  well ;  but  why  did  you  go  down  stairs  ?  " 

"  I  heard  a  noise,  and  I  wanted  to  see  what  it 
was." 

"  Bruno  growling,  she  told  me,"  Mrs.  Weldon 
interposed. 

"  Did  you  see  ?  "  disregarding  the  interruption. 
"What  was  the  noise?  Who  made  it?" 

"  Bruno,  grandpapa,  —  partly,"  Violet  faltered, 
her  eyelids  drooping  again. 

"Look  at  me!  Bruno  partly, — well,  what 
else?" 

"  O,  please,  grandpapa  "  —  Violet  clasped  her 


THE    WRONG    REDRESSED.  209 

hands  in  distress,  — "  don't  ask  me  any  more 
questions  ;  don't  make  me  tell  you.  I  promised 
I  wouldn't !  " 

"  There  !  "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Weldon.  "  It  is  just 
as  I  said,  you  see.  Now  do  you  wonder  at  my 
anxiety,  when  she  confesses  to  so  much  as  this, 
and  refuses  to  explain  anything  more  ?  " 

"  She  will  not  refuse  to  explain  it.  to  me,"  said 
Colonel  Schuyler,  with  a  quiet  emphasis.  "  Go 
on,  Violet.  What  else  did  you  hear?  " 

"  O,  grandpapa,  please !"  she  repeated,  with 
still  more  pitiful  pleading  in  her  eyes  and  voice ; 
but  he  was  unmoved  by  it. 

"  You  only  convince  me  that  I  ought  to  make 
you  speak,"  he  said.  "  All  this  distress  and  re- 
luctance proves  that  there  is  something  which 
needs  to  be  investigated.  I  insist  upon  your  an- 
swering, unless  you  wish  me  to  believe  that  you 
have  been  committing  some  fault  that  is  very 
grave  indeed,"  he  added,  with  a  searching  look. 

Violet's  pale  face  flushed  under  it.  "  I  have 
not  done  anything  wicked,"  she  said,  proudly. 
"  I  wonder  how  you  can  think  so.  " 

"  Because  you  compel  me  to  think  everything. 
Why  do  you  make  such  a  mystery  of  it,  if  there 
is  nothing  wrong?  " 

H 


2IO      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

| 

"I  said  I  wouldn't  tell,"  she  murmured. 

"And  /  say  you  must  tell,"  he  exclaimed, 
sternly.  "  First  of  all,  I  want  to  know  who  was 
the  person  you  promised,  and  then  what  the 
thing  was  that  was  not  to  be  told.  It  is  folly  to 
think  that  I  will  allow  such  things  to  go  unac- 
counted for.  I  insist  upon  your  answering  me 
fully,  and  at  once ;  you  have  trifled  with  the 
matter  long  enough." 

Poor  Violet !  There  was  no  resisting  any 
longer  when  he  took  this  severe  tone.  She  cow- 
ered down,  frightened  and  miserable,  not  daring 
to  disobey  the  stern  command,  and  yet  dreading, 
with  an  exaggerated  terror,  the  consequences  of 
her  revelation.  She  had  been  kept  in  such  a 
state  of  worry  and  excitement,  that  the  whole 
thing  had  assumed  a  magnified  importance  to 
her.  Her  own  share  in  it  would  be  severely 
condemned  and  punished,  she  felt  sure  ;  and  as 
for  the  poor  boy,  something  dreadful  would  Imp- 
pen,  of  necessity.  If  grandpapa  was  so  angry 
already,  what  would  he  be  when  she  had  told  him 
everything ! 

It  seemed  almost  impossible  to  shape  her 
frightened,  confused  ideas  into  any  intelligent 
speech.  She  began  nervously,  and  her  lips  trem- 


THE    WRONG    REDRESSED.  211 

bled  so  that  the  words  would  not  come  ;  the  tears 
sprang  to  her  eyes ;  her  hands  shook  with  the 
repressed  excitement. 

Colonel  Schuyler  could  not  but  pity  her  dis- 
tress, but  he  was  inexorable  in 'his  purpose. 
"You  need  not  tremble  so,"  he  said,  more  gently. 
"  There  can  surely  be  no  reason  for  you  to  dread 
telling  me  the  truth,  Violet.  Compose  yourself 
now,  and  speak  out  honestly.  I  want  to  be  satis- 
fied—  I  dare  say  I  shall  be  —  that  it  is  nothing 
very  terrible,  after  all." 

The  kind  tone  gave  her  a  little  courage,  and 
she  opened  her  lips  again ;  but  before  the  words 
could  pass  there  was  a  sudden  knock  at  the  door. 
Colonel  Schuyler  made  an  impatient  exclama- 
tion, but  he  answered,  "  Come  in  !  "  and  Owen, 
the  waiter,  made  his  appearance. 

"  If  you  please,  sir,  there's  a  young  gentleman 
wants  to  see  you,  sir." 

"Who  is  it?  What's  his  name?"  asked  the 
colonel,  shortly. 

"  Didn't  give  it  to  me,  sir ;  looks  like  one  of 
the  young  gentlemen  from  the  military." 

"  Go  and  ask  him  for  his  name  ;  and  tell  him 
that  I  am  very  much  engaged  just  at  present." 

Owen  went  away,  leaving  the  door  half  open, 


212      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

so  that  they  heard  his  voice  in  parley  with  the 
visitor  at  the  hall  door. 

"  Tell  Colonel  Schuyler,"  was  the  response  to 
his  message,  in  boyish  accents,  "  that  my  name  is 
Sydney  Guilford ;  and  if  he  is  engaged  I  can 
wait  as  long  as  he  likes.  But  I  want  to  see  him 
this  afternoon  very  much  indeed." 

"  I  wonder  why,"  the  colonel  muttered,  in  an 
undertone.  "  I  have  no  acquaintance  with  Mr. 
Sydney  Guilford  ;  but  I  suppose  I  must  give  him 
a  hearing."  And  he  put  Violet  off  his  knee, 
where  she  had  sat  so  uneasily  all  this  time,  and 
went  to  the  door  just  as  Owen  returned  to  re- 
port the  message. 

"  Stay  here  till  I  come  back,  and  be  ready  to 
speak  to  me  when  I  do  come,"  he  said  to  her, 
and  left  the  room,  leaving  Violet  thrilling  all  over 
with  a  new  excitement.  Sydney  Guilford  !  That 
was  the  boy  who  had  robbed  the  orchard  !  What 
could  bring  him  here  now,  unless  —  unless  —  and 
the  poor  little  heart  throbbed  with  a  sudden  sense 
of  relief —  he  had  come  to  confess,  himself,  what 
he  had  done?  That  would  be  good  news  in- 
deed ;  too  good,  entirely,  to  be  true,  the  poor 
child  thought,  with  a  sigh.  And  yet,  what  else 
could  it  be  ?  She  sat  in  a  tremble  of  hope  and 


THE   WRONG   REDRESSED.  213 

fear,  straining  her  ears  to  catch  a  chance  word  ; 
but  her'  grandfather  had  shut  the  door,  and  no 
sound  penetrated. 

Sydney,  on  the  other  side  of  it,  was  trying  to 
screw  his  courage  up  to  meet  his  fate  bravely ; 
but  he  felt  a  very  sick  sensation  when  he  saw  the 
colonel  advancing  to  meet  him.  He  did  not  see 
the  "  goggles  "  that  Charlie  Cox  had  described, 
nor  the  "  knobby  cane  ; "  but  the  tall,  white-haired, 
dignified  old  gentleman  was  much  more  impos- 
ing even  than  the  "  crusty  old  fellow,  cross  as 
Ajax,"  that  he  had  expected  to  encounter.  He  was 
not  reassured  by  the  rather  curt  tone  in  which  the 
colonel  greeted  him,  and  inquired  his  business ; 
but,  "  sink  or  swim,"  he  had  made  up  his  mind 
to  do  it,  and  so  he  plunged  at  once  in  medlas  res. 
Owen  had  gone  away,  and  there  was  no  one 
else  in  sight ;  the  stone  terrace  was  as  good  a 
place  as  any  other  for  the  confession,  and,  stand- 
ing there  in  the  warm  autumn  sunshine,  he  stam- 
mered out,  in  some  confused,  shame-faced  fash- 
ion, what  had  happened  close  by,  in  the  moon- 
light, two  nights  ago. 

If  it  had  not  been  for  what  had  passed  before, 
the  colonel  would  have  found  it  difficult  to  un- 
derstand the  jumble  that  Sydney  made  of  the 


214      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

orchard,  and  the  dog,  the  moonlight,  and  Violet ; 
but  the  previous  scene  was  a  key  to  this,  as  this 
was  an  unlooked-for  commentary  and  explanation 
to  that.  In  a  flash  poor  little  Violet's  mystery 
was  revealed,  and  her  grandfather  understood 
now  completely  her  double  perplexity  and  trouble. 
It  was  all  clear  to  him  —  how  her  generous  im- 
pulse had  led  her  to  help  the  boy's  escape,  and 
her  sense  of  honor  had  constrained  her  to  keep 
his  secret,  even  while  it  subjected  her  to  such 
painful  doubts  and  questionings. 

It  was  so  great  a  relief  to  him  to  discover,  at 
such  an  opportune  moment,  her  innocence  of  any 
real  fault,  that  his  first  impulse  was  actually  to 
say,  "  Thank  you,"  to  the  culprit,  who  stood  be- 
fore him  with  downcast  looks,  awaiting  the  ex- 
pected sharp  rebuke.  But  he  recollected  him- 
self in  time,  and  bent  his  brows  to  a  sterner 
expression. 

"  This  is  a  nice  story  you  bring  me,  sir ;  what 
am  I  to  think  of  it?  "  was  the  first  comment. 

"  I  don't  know,  sir,  except  that  it's  true,"  was 
Sydney's  dejected  answer. 

"  Good  character  you  give  of  yourself,  prowl- 
ing round  people's  houses  in  the  night." 

"  Yes,  sir,"  said  Sydney,  more  downcast  still. 


THE    WRONG    REDRESSED.  2 15 

"  And  no  more  sense  of  shame  than  to  come 
here  in  open  daylight,  and  tell  me  of  it  to  my 
face !  " 

"  It  wasn't  that  —  it's  —  I  think  you  are  mis- 
taken, sir,"  stammered  Sydney,  flushing  up  to 
his  forehead,  and  thinking  this  "a  little  too  rough 
on  a  fellow." 

"  Mistaken,  am  I?  Well,  what  do  you  expect 
me  to  think,  when  a  boy  walks  up  to  me,  auda- 
ciously, and  tells  me  he  has  robbed  my  orchard, 
and  my  dog  has  caught  him  in  the  act,  and  my 
granddaughter  has  let  him  go  free,  when  by  good 
right  he  deserved  a  flogging  ?  " 

"  You  can  think  he  has  come  back  to  get  it, 
sir,"  returned  the  boy,  drawing  himself  up 
proudly.  "  I  know  I  deserve  to  be  punished, 
and  I  shan't  shirk  it.  You  can  do  what  you  like 
to  me." 

"  You  would  rather  be  flogged  than  not,  I  sup- 
pose ;  "  and  the  colonel's  frown  relaxed,  while  a 
smile  lurked  in  the  corner  of  his  mouth.  "  You 
have  really  come  here,  then,  on  purpose  to  con- 
fess a  fault,  and  tell  me  you  are  sorry  for  it?  " 

"  Yes,  sir,  that's  what  I'm  trying  to  do." 

"  The  curious  part  of  it  is,  what  makes  you 


2l6    A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

sorry  ?  I  suppose  you've  done  the  same  thing  a 
dozen  times  before." 

"  No,  sir ;  I  never  did  anything  of  the  sort 
before  ;  never  in  my  life,"  Sydney  replied, 
promptly. 

"  Ah  !  and  why  have  you  done  it  now,  then  ?  " 

"  Because,"  Sydney  began,  and  stopped,  con- 
fusedly. 

"  Some  other  fellows,  were  going  to  have  a 
lark,  and  invited  you  to  join  them  ? "  said  the 
colonel,  with  a  shrewd  interrogation.  "  You 
didn't  know  how  to  say  no  ? " 

"  I  didn't  say  that,  sir,"  exclaimed  Sydney, 
quickly. 

"  No,  but  I  observe  that  you  don't  deny  it," 
the  colonel  rejoined.  "  You  need  not  be  afraid  ; 
I  shan't  ask  you  to  tell  tales  on  your  friends,  but 
I  would  like  to  know  simply  for  my  own  satis- 
faction if  I  have  guessed  right.  Were  you  the 
only  boy  in  the  orchard  that  night  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir,  I  was  the  only  one  in  the  orchard," 
Sydney  answered,  but  with  a  certain  reserva- 
tion in  his  tone  that  the  colonel  at  once  de- 
tected. 

"  You  are  not  answering  me  frankly ;  and  if 
you  try  to  deceive  me  with  half  truths,  your  con- 


•      THE    WRONG    REDRESSED.  217 

fession  is  not  worth  much.  It  might  as  well  have 
been  left  unmade,"  he  said,  with  dignity :  and 
Sydney  was  obliged,  in  self-defence,  to  acknowl- 
edge that  he  was  not  alone. 

"  There  were  two  boys  -outside  of  the  fence, 
sir.  I  didn't  want  to  say  anything  about  them, 
at  all,  and  I  hope  you  won't  ask  me  their  names. 
If  you  do,  I  can't  tell  them  to  you." 

"  Don't  be  afraid ;  I  have  no  use  for  their 
names,"  the  colonel  answered  ;  "  and  no  opinion 
of  a  boy  who  betrays  his  mates.  You  have  told 
me  all  I  want  to  know  about  them  this  time.  If 
they  try  the  same  trick  again,  I  shall  know  how 
to  find  them  out  for  myself.  The  question  is 
now,  What  is  to  be  done  with  you  ?  " 

It  was  just  the  question  that  Sydney  had  spec- 
ulated and  pondered  upon  all  day  long ;  he  was 
very  anxious  to  have  it  answered,  but  had  no  sug- 
gestions of  his  own  to  offer. 

"  You  are  quite  aware,  I  suppose,"  the  colonel 
continued,  coolly,  "  that  I  could  do  several  very 
disagreeable  things.  I  could  have  you  arrested, 
if  I  chose  to  take  law  on  my  side ;  or  I  could 
make  complaint  to  the  principal  of  your  acad- 
emy ;  or  I  could  take  lynch  law,  and  make  Owen 
thrash  you  on  the  spot.  I  was  thrashed  myself, 


2l8      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

when  I  was  a  boy,  for  something  of  the  same 
sort ;  and  it  was  the  best  thing  that  could  have 
happened  to  me." 

"  Very  well,  sir,"  said  Sydney,  with  an  effort, 
choking  down  the  bitter  pill  to  his  pride.  "  If 
you  choose  to  have  me  flogged,  I've  got  nothing 
to  say." 

He  did  not  believe  the  colonel  had  any  such 
intention,  but  it  was  no  less  humiliating  to  have 
the  prospect  set  before  him.  The  flogging  itself 
would  have  been  less  painful  than  the  keen  shame 
which  he  felt,  and  which  pictured  itself  so  plain- 
ly on  his  countenance,  that  Colonel  Schuyler 
could  but  pity  him  at  last.  He  watched  the 
downcast  eyes,  the  flushed  face,  and  quivering 
lips,  that  betrayed  the  struggle  within,  and  he 
could  not  help  a  feeling  of  respect  for  the. boy's 
manly  self-control,  and  an  admiration  for  the  hon- 
est principle  which  had  evidently  influenced  him 
to  make  the  confession,  and  now  kept  him  patient 
under  its  unpleasant  consequences.  "  He  has 
been  punished  enough  already,"  was  his  mental 
conclusion,  and  he  put  it  into  words  without 
keeping  the  boy  longer  in  suspense. 

"  I  think  you  are  really  sorry  for  your  fault, 
my  boy,"  he  said,  so  kindly  that  Sydney  looked 


THE    WRONG    REDRESSED.  219 

up  with  quick  surprise  ;  "  and  you  have  proved 
your  willingness  to  make  amends  for  it.  I  hold 
by  the  old  adage,  that  '  a  wrong  confessed  is  half 
redressed,'  and  so  we'll  consider  the  matter  set- 
tled. I  don't  believe  you  will  put  yourself  in 
such  an  uncomfortable  position  again." 

"  No,  sir !  that  I  never  will,"  was  the  eager 
response,  full  of  grateful  relief.  "  I  don't  know 
how  to  thank  you  for  being  so  kind  —  " 

"•  I'll  take  it  for  granted,"  interrupted  the 
colonel,  cheerfully.  "  Don't  say  any  more  about 
it,  but  go  home  and  tell  your  mother.  And  the 
next  time  anybody  wants  you  to  do  a  thing  that 
you  suspect  to  be  wrong,  say,  NO,  in  capital 
letters." 

Sydney's  heart  was  as  light  as  a  feather  as  he 
ran  down  the  stone  steps,  and  crossed  the  broad 
lawn  again.  He  was  so  happy  that  he  whistled 
a  tune  as  he  went,  and  Bruno  growled  at  him  in 
the  distance.  But  what  did  he  care  for  Bruno 
now  ?  The  burden  was  lifted  from  his  heart,  and 
he  had  no  longer  anything  to  be  afraid  or 
ashamed  of.  The  world  seemed  full  of  sunshine 
and  gladness  all  at  once,  now  that  this  dreaded 
interview  was  so  happily  over.  Thci-e  was  only 
one  thing  to  regret  —  that  lie  had  not  caught  a 


22O      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

glimpse  of  Violet.  Her  handkerchief  was  in  his 
pocket,  in  a  neat  little  parcel ;  and  he  had  in- 
tended to  give  it  to  her  if  he  could  have  seen  her. 
But  he  had  not  ventured  to  ask  for  her,  and  he 
did  not  choose  to  give  the  handkerchief  to  her 
grandfather.  No  matter  ;  it  would  be  an  excuse 
for  going  again,  when  there  was  no  such  dis- 
agreeable errand ;  and  then  he  could  thank  her 
for  having  kept  his  secret  so  bravely.  So  he  ran 
home,  and  whistled  as  he  ran,  to  tell  his  mother 
how  beautifully  things  had  ended,  and  how  glad 
he  was  that  he  had  taken  her  advice,  and  how  he 
pitied  every  other  boy  that  hadn't,  like  him,  the 
best,  and  sweetest,  and  dearest  mother  in  all  the 
world  ! 

Colonel  Schuyler  went  back  to  the  library  with 
a  sense  of  relief  quite  as  decided,  if  not  as  ex- 
uberant. The  most  painful  thing  possible  to  him 
was  to  find  any  fault  in  Violet.  He  loved  her  so 
dearly  that  he  wanted  her  to  be  simply  perfect, 
and  her  fear  of  his  displeasure  was  not  equal  to 
his  pain  in  having  to  express  it.  So  his  happi- 
ness may  be  imagined  when  he  discovered  how 
little  there  was  to  blame,  how  much  more  to 
praise,  in  her  mysterious  midnight  adventure. 

Her   heart   leaped   up,    "  as   a   flower  to   the 


THE    WRONG   REDRESSED.  221 

light,"  when  she  caught  the  first  glance  at  his 
eyes,  for  the  old  loving  look  was  in  them,  and  a 
satisfied  smile  played  about  his  lips. 

"  Come  here,  Puss  ;  "  and  she  sprang  to  his 
arms,  knowing  instantly  that  all  was  right  now. 

"  The  next  time  you  hear  Bruno  growling," 
he  said,  drawing  her  close  to  his  breast,  "  and 
it  happens  to  be  after  midnight,  please  come  and 
consult  me  before  you  go  to  the  rescue.  That's 
all  I  have  to  say." 


222      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

THE    FAIR. 

THE  society  had  tried  very  hard  to  finish  its 
arrangements  for  the  fair  before  the  school 
vacation  closed.  Mrs.  Guilford  and  the  other 
mothers  were  of  opinion  that  it  would  be  advi- 
sable to  get  the  thing  ovef,  and  have  it  off  the 
hands  and  out  of  the  heads  of  the  girls  before 
the  fall  term  began.  But  accidents  will  happen 
in  the  best  regulated  families,  and  even  the  doc- 
tor's children  get  sick  sometimes.  Flossy  had 
taken  the  measles  most  inconveniently,  and  of 
course  Fan  and  Archie  had  to  follow  the  bad  ex- 
ample. They  were  not  very  ill,  but  it  hindered 
things,  prevented  any  society  meetings  at  the 
brown  cottage  for  several  weeks,  and  put  back 
Laura's  woi-k  in  particular. 

So  the  fair  had  to  be  delayed  accordingly,  and 
lessons  coming  in  again  to  hinder,  the  last  of  the 
work  was  not  done  until  the  very  end  of  Sep- 


THE    FAIR.  223 

tember.  It  would  hardly  have  been,  even  then, 
if  Mrs.  Delancy  had  not  hastened  matters  by  her 
energetic  assistance.  She  perceived  that  it  was 
useless  to  expect  an  undivided  attention  to  studies, 
while  the  excitement  of  the  fair  was  in  antici- 
pation ;  and  her  generosity,  over  which  Laura 
was  so  enthusiastic,  had  a  touch  of  policy  in  it. 
She  gave  them  the  use  of  the  school-room,  and 
two  days'  holiday ;  Thursday  to  arrange  the 
room,  and  Friday  for  the  important  event ;  leav- 
ing Saturday  for  a  general  rest  and  clearing  up, 
before  Monday  brought  school  again  ;  after 
which  they  were  expected  to  do  wonders  in  the 
way  of  study  for  the  rest  of  -the  term,  she  in- 
formed them. 

All  the  forces  were  brought  to  bear  on  Thurs- 
day, and  "  Ambo  "  came  up  to  the  point  bravely. 
Not  a  single  "  honorary,"  even,  shirked  the  work 
of  the  day,  and  before  nightfall  there  were  bril- 
liant results  to  prove  their  industry.  Loads  of 
evergreen  had  been  brought  from  the  woods  ;  and 
the  mountain  ash  trees  from  half  a  dozen  lawns 
had  been  ruthlessly  stripped  of  their  beautiful 
scarlet  clusters  to  brighten  the  green  decorations. 
Mrs.  Delancy  lent  a  superb  flag,  and  two  or 
three  additional  varieties  of  the  stars  and  stripes 


224      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

were  contributed  by  patriotic  parents  ;  so  that  the 
walls  were  quite  covered  with  the  brilliant  dra- 
peries and  branching  evergreens. 

Long  tables,  with  spotless  white  covers,  were 
ranged  under  them,  and  little  fir  trees,  bristling 
with  tiny  candles,  stood  in  the  centre  of  each. 
The  floral  temple  occupied  Mrs.  Delancy's  plat- 
form, and  her  desk  was  converted  into  an  altar 
for  the  charming  goddess.  Folds  of  classic  dra- 
pery concealed  the  fact  that  it  had  legs ;  and 
wreaths  of  trailing  ivy,  moss  baskets  full  of  dewy 
bloom  and  sweetness,  brilliant  bouquets,  and  all 
manner  of  fascinating  posies  made  the  shrine 
irresistible  to  all  true  lovers  of  Flora.  Nobody 
would  have  guessed  that  the  charming  canopy 
overhead  was  merely  an  old  mosquito  frame,  or 
that  the  slender,  vine-wreathed  pillars,  which 
supported  it,  had  originally  upheld  a  vulgar 
clothes-line.  These  were  secrets  known  only  to 
"  Ambo,"  and  carefully  kept  from  the  general 
public,  which  had  only  to  admire  effects,  and  not 
to  investigate  first  causes. 

The  "  elTect "  was  certainly  pretty  enough  to 
have  satisfied  a  more  critical  public  than  that  of 
Englewood,  when  the  doors  were  finally  thrown 
open.  The  room  was  large  and  lofty,  and  the 


THE    FAIR.  225 

bright  afternoon  sunshine,  streaming  through  the  ' 
green  boughs  that  arched  above   each  window, 
sparkled  upon  an  array  of  pretty  things  that  did 
full  credit  to  their  makers. 

One  table  was  filled  entirely  with  the  boys' 
work.  There  were  boxes  of  wooden  blocks,  in 
various  shapes  ;  sets  of  jack-straws,  carved  with 
most  surprising  devices  ;  Loto  counters,  checkers, 
wooden  dominos,  whistles,  whips,  toy  boats, 
miniature  ships,  full  rigged ;  little  go-carts  and 
windmills,  by  way  of  toys.  Then  there  were 
more  ambitious  articles,  in  the  shape  of  book- 
racks,  brackets,  and  picture-frames,  some  of 
which  were  exceedingly  pretty  and  well  made. 
The  twigs  and  stems,  the  moss,  and  lichens,  and 
acorns,  that  came  from  the  woods,  were  fash- 
ioned into  a  variety  of  pretty  frames  for  photo- 
graphs and  tiny  engravings  ;  and  in  some  of  the 
prettiest  Laura  had  inserted  two  or  three  of  Janie 
Russell's  nicest  drawings.  Altogether  the  boys' 
table  made  a  very  good  appearance,  and  won 
compliments  in  plenty  for  the  young  artisans. 

There  was  more  color  and  glitter,  of  course, 
about   the   feminine    manufactures.      Marvellous 
pin-cushions,   all  frills  and  embroidery,  "  catch- 
alls,"  glistening  with  beads  and  bright  ribbons, 
15 


226      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

baby  sacques,  soft  and  fleecy,  with  lovely  blue 
and  rose-colored  borders,  little  frilled  and  pock- 
eted aprons,  crocheted  mittens  and  socks,  and  all 
the  rest  of  the  tilings  that  little  women  (and  big 
ones)  delight  in,  were  there.  There  were  "fancy" 
vases,  and  boxes,  and  pen-trays,  and  the  like, 
that  had  been  contributed  by  various  grown-up 
friends  ;  there  was  a  gorgeous  afghan,  made  and 
presented  by  Mrs.  Delancy,  a  sofa-cushion  from 
Mrs.  Barnard,  and  some  handsome  lamp-mats 
from  Mrs.  Raymond.  Dolls  in  abundance  were 
there,  of  course  ;  and  the  "  old  woman  that  lived 
in  a  shoe  "  had  a  representative  in  Flossy,  who 
sat  up  in  a  mammoth  shoe  (hired  for  the  occa- 
sion from  a  New  York  toy  shop),  and  sold  dolls 
by  the  dozen.  Sydney  stood  by  and  helped  her 
to  make  change  and  keep  her  accounts  straight ; 
and  Miss  Flossy  made  pert  little  speeches,  and 
quoted  Mother  Goose  so  fluently  to  her  custom- 
ers, that  her  shoe  was  a  centre  of  resort  until  her 
children  were  all  sold. 

It  was  pleasanter  still  in  the  evening,- when  the 
lamps  were  lighted,  and  all  the  little  candles  were 
glittering  in  the  fir  trees,  and  the  side  lights  spar- 
kled through  overhanging  green  boughs.  The 
floral  temple  was  a  wonder  of  brilliant  color  then, 


THE    FAIR.  227 

and  the  pretty,  rosy  girls  who  sold  bouquets,  and 
charged  atrocious  prices  with  such  smiling  assur- 
ance, were  as  bright  and  charming  as  the  flowers 
themselves.  Nobody  could  refuse  to  buy  when 
such  cherry  lips  and  sparkling  eyes  tempted 
them  ;  and  so,  in  spite  of  Sydney's  contempt  of 
the  floral  temple,  it  proved  a  most  important 
source  of  revenue. 

Laura  was  the  chief  saleswoman  here,  with 
Susie  Franer,  and  Alice  Havilund,  and  May  Bar- 
nard, for  assistants.  They  were  all  dressed  in 
white,  with  one  special  flower  to  distinguish 
them.  Laura  had  ivy  leaves  and  sprays  of  scar- 
let salvia  clustered  at  her  throat,  and  wreathing 
her  dark  hair;  May  had  tea  roses,  with  their 
bright,  glossy  leaves ;  Susie  was  crowned  with 
geraniums ;  and  Alice's  long  tresses  floated  free 
under  the  drooping  fuchsias,  whose  rich  crimson 
contrasted  so  charmingly  with  their  gold. 

Nothing  could  have  been  prettier  than  the  pic- 
ture '  they  presented,  grouped  together  under  the 
trailing  vines  and  greenery  ;  and  Violet  squeezed 
her  grandfather's  arm,  with  a  little  cry  of  delight, 
as  she  drew  near  the  temple.  She  had  heard  of 
the  fair,  and  coaxed  the  colonel  to  take  her  to  it ; 
and  though  she  had  certainly  no  Lick  of  flowers 


228      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

at  home,  nothing  would  satisfy  her  now  but  to 
buy  some  bouquets  of  "  those  pretty,  pretty 
girls." 

"Aren't  they  lovely,  grandpapa?"  she  whis- 
pered, enthusiastically ;  "  and  I  do  believe  they 
are  some  of  the  very  girls  I  saw  in  the  woods 
that  day.  There's  one  of  them,  I  know,  the  tall 
one  with  the  scarlet  flowers  in  her  hair ;  I  never 
forgot  her  face  !  " 

"  What  an  impression  that  day  in  the  woods 
seems  to  have  made  upon  you  !  "  her  grandfather 
said.  u  It  appears  to  be  your  golden  era,  that 
you  date  from." 

"  Now,  gi-andpapa !  "  Violet  pouted,  prettily. 
"  You  always  laugh  at  me  when  I  say  anything 
about  it;  but  I  don't  care.  I  couldn't  help  re- 
membering something  so  nice ;  and  I  have  just 
got  an  idea  !  " 

"  What  a  marvel !  "  teased  her  grandfather. 
"  I  never  knew  it  to  happen  before." 

"  Then  I'll  tell  it  quick,  because  it  might  never 
happen  again,"  she  retorted,  merrily.  "  I  do  be- 
lieve they  were  making  things  then  for  this  very 
fair.  They  had  gathered  all  sorts  of  stuff';  and 
the  boys  were  whittling  with  their  knives  —  and 
over  on  that  table  there  are  so  many  funny  little 


VIOLET  AT  THE  FAIR.  —  Pa<?e  228. 


THE    FAIR.  229 

things,  that  look  as  if  boys  had  whittled  them ! 
Don't  you  know,  Mrs.  Bunn  told  us  that  this  was 
a  children's  fair,  and  most  everything  had  been 
made  by  the  boys  and  girls  themselves  ?  I  think 
it's  quite  wonderful  how  they  could  do  so  much 
—  don't  you?  "  she  chattered  on. 

But  her  grandfather  did  not  answer  her ;  he 
had  suddenly  caught  sight  of  a  face  in  the  crowd 
that  he  remembered  —  a  lady's  face,  a  little  worn 
with  time,  yet  still  keeping  the  sweet,  bright 
look  that  had  made  it  more  charming  than  mere 
beauty  when  she  was  young.  She  was  standing 
near  a  mammoth  shoe,  in  which  a  laughing  child 
sat  perched,  her  golden  curls  surmounted  with  a 
huge  frilled  cap,  and  her  lap  filled  with  dolls  ; 
and  close  beside  her  stood  a  boy  in  the  school 
uniform,  whose  face  the  colonel  recognized  at 
once.  It  was  the  boy  who  had  robbed  his  or- 
chard, and  come  afterwards  to  confess  it,  and, 
from  the  strong  resemblance  visible  as  the  two 
stood  side  by  side,  he  was  evidently  the  lady's 
son. 

Colonel  Schuyler  moved  towards  them  invol- 
untarily, as  this  conviction  flashed  into  his  mind, 
but  Violet  hung:  back. 


230      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

"  Don't  go  yet ;  I  want  to  buy  some  flowers," 
she  pleaded. 

"  Wait  a  little  ;  I  want  to  speak  to  a  lady  across 
the  room,"  was  his  answer ;  and  she  -went  with 
him,  wondering  who  the  lady  could  be?  and 
flushing  up  all  at  once  with  a  shy  blending  of 
pleasure  and  confusion,  when  they  stopped  by 
the  old  woman  in  her  shoe,  and  she  came  face  to 
face  with  Sydney.  They  had  not  seen>  each  other 
since  that  moonlight  night,  but  the  recognition 
was  quick  as  a  flash  on  both  sides.  He  had  been 
thinking  of  her  all  the  evening,  hoping  vaguely 
that  she  might  come  to  the  fair,  and  searching 
the  crowd,  as  it  swayed  to  and  fro,  for  her  well- 
remembered  face.  But  he  had  not  found  it,  and 
now,  suddenly,  here  she  was !  and  here  was  her 
grandfather,  speaking  to  his  mother  like  an  old 
acquaintance,  and  actually  calling  her  "  Laura"  ! 

Sydney  felt  for  a  moment  as  if  he  were  dream- 
ing ;  so  did  Violet,  equally  astonished,  and  thrill- 
ing with  a  sudden  happy  hope  through  her  won- 
der. If  her  grandfather  knew  this  lady  so  well, 
—  and  what  a  lovely  lady !  Violet  thought,  — 
why,  then  she  might  be  allowed  to  know  her  chil- 
dren ;  and  quick,  delightful  visions  of  future 
friends  and  companions  rose  before  her  fancy. 


THE    FAIR.  231 

The  warm,  young  heart  had  felt  its  loneliness 
keenly  to-night,  for  all  her  smiles  and  merry 
words.  She  was  the  only  one  there  who  knew 
nobody  ;  groups  of  laughing,  chattering  children 
went  past  her,  their  arms  linked,  their  names 
free  upon  each  other's  tongues  ;  young  girls  bent 
their  heads  together  over  the  tables,  consulting 
about  their  purchases,  or  comparing  notes  of 
their  sales ;  manly-looking  *boys  laughed  and 
talked  familiarly  with  them,  brought  them  flow- 
ers, took  them  away  to  eat  ice-cream  ;  everybody 
knew  everybody  else,  and  seemed  so  happy  and 
sociable  !  Only  she  had  no  one  to  speak  to,  no 
young  voice  to  call  her  by  name,  no  girl  friend  to 
look  glad  at  her  coming. 

Through  all  the  brightness  and  pleasantness 
of  the  pretty  scene,  which  she  was  truly  enjoy- 
ing, this  consciousness  brought  a  wistful  lo£>k  to 
Violet's  eyes,  a  sorrowful  longing  to  her  heart. 
Perhaps  her  grandfather  guessed  it,  and  made  up 
his  mind  that  he  had  kept  her  in  needlessly  strict 
seclusion  ;  that  as  she  had  to  live  in  the  world, 
and  meet  men  and  women  eventually,  she  might 
begin  to  meet  girls  and  boys  now ;  that  the  re- 
sults of  education  and  the  permanence  of  princi- 
ple must  be  tested,  after  all,  by  outside  associa- 


232      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

tion,  before  one  could  confidently  rely  upon 
them. 

At  any  rate,  Violet's  unspoken  hope  was  won- 
derfully realized.  She  listened  in  actual  amaze- 
ment when  her  grandfather  introduced  her  to 
Mrs.  Guilford,  saying,  — 

"  This  is  my  granddaughter,  Evelyn's  child, 
you  know.  She  is  a  lonesome  little  thing,  and 
would  be  very  glid  to  make  friends  with  your 
children,  if  you  have  no  objection.  By  the  way, 
she  has  arready  made  acquaintance  with  this 
young  gentleman,"  turning  to  Sydney,  "  in  quite 
romantic  circumstances." 

"  I  know  it."  Mrs.  Guilford  smiled,  though 
her  color  deepened  a  little.  "  So  this  is  the  little 
Violet,  who  was  so  brave  and  so  kind  to  a 
naughty  boy  ?  My  dear,  you  must  let  me  give 
you  a  kiss  for  thanks  ;  "  and  she  bent  over  Violet 
and  kissed  the  blooming  cheek  that  was  lifted 
willingly  for  the  caress.  She  was  not  lavish 
with  her  kisses  as  a  general  thing ;  they  meant 
something  when  she  gave  them,  and  Violet's 
heart  thrilled  with  a  shy  delight  at  the  tender 
touch.  She  could  not  say  a  word,  but  Mrs.  Guil- 
ford did  not  wait  for  her  to  speak. 

"  This  is  one  of  my  children,"  she  went  on, 


THE    FAIR.  233 

laying  her  hand  on  Flossy's  ridiculous  cap  ;  "and 
there  is  another,  over  amongst  the  flower-girls. 
Laura  must  be  near  your  own  age,  my  dear ;  I 
shall  be  glad  to  have  you  good  friends." 

"  Is  it  the  one  with  the  dark  braided  hair  and 
the  scarlet  flowers  —  that  tall,  pretty  girl?  "  Vio- 
let asked,  eagerly.  "  I've  seen  her  before  —  I 
know  I  should  like  her." 

"  Yes,  that  is  Laura,"  Mrs.  Guilford  answered, 
with  a  pleased  smile.  "  But  when  did  you  see 
her  before  ?  " 

"  Ah,  that's  a  long  story,"  Colonel  Schuyler 
interposed,  laughingly.  "  It's  another  one  of  Vi- 
olet's romances  ;  she  shall  give  you  the  history 
of  it  some  other  time.  Suppose  you  take  her  to 
Miss  Laura  now,  and  let  the  young  people  get 
acquainted,  while  you  and  I  have  a  chat  about 
old  times.  It  is  hard  to  believe  you  are  the 
mother  of  this  tall  fellow  !  " 

Violet  gave  her  arm  a  little  pinch  to  convince 
herself  that  she  was  not  dreaming.  It  was  really 
hard  to  believe  that  all  this  was  true,  that  it  was 
her  grandfather  who  was  behaving  in  this  unu- 
sual manner,  and  that  the  thing  she  had  wished 
for  so  hopelessly  was  actually  going  to  happen  to 
her.  There  was  no  time  for  doubt  or  wonder, 


234      A  WR°NG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

however,  for  the  next  minute  they  were  stand- 
ing by  the  pretty  green  bower,  and  Mrs.  Guilford 
was  saying,  — 

"  Laura,  dear,  I  want  to  introduce  }'ou  to  my 
old  friend,  Colonel  Schuyler ;  and  this  is  his 
granddaughter,  Miss  Violet.  You  will  be  very 
glad  to  know  her,  after  what  you  have  heard 
of  her." 

And  then  the  dark-haired  girl,  with  the  bright, 
sensible  face,  —  the  very  same  that  Violet  had 
admired  and  remembered  so  long,  —  came  out 
promptly  from  the  bower,  and  held  out  both 
hands,  one  to  Violet,  one  to  her  grandfather. 

"  I  have  been  wishing  to  know  you,  more  than 
anybody  in  the  world,"  said  Laura,  in  Laura's 
own  enthusiastic,  hearty  way.  "  I'm  so  glad  you 
came  to  our  fair  to-night !  " 

'  "  So  am  I,"  responded  Violet,  with  so  much 
earnestness  that  her  grandfather  laughed  out- 
right. 

"  There  is  no  doubt  of  your  gladness ;  it 
sparkles  all  over  you,"  he  said.  "  And  I  sup- 
pose you  would  be  quite  as  miserable  if  I  told 
you  it  was  time  to  go  home." 

"  O,   but   it   isn't !  "   exclaimed   Laura ;  "  the 


THE   FAIR.  235 

evening  has  only  begun  yet.  You  won't  take  her 
home  now  ?  " 

"  Not  if  you  will  agree  to  take  charge  of  her 
for  half  an  hour,"  said  the  colonel,  good-hu- 
moredly,  "  while  I  have  a  chat  with  your  mother. 
I  have  not  seen  her,  Miss  Laura,  since  she  was 
a  young  lady,  but  a  few  years  older  than  your- 
self. She  used  to  admire  me  very  much  in  those 
days,  let  me  tell  you." 

"  Yes,  indeed  I  did,"  Mrs.  Guilford  assented, 
laughingly.  "  Perhaps  I  shall  do  it  again  ;  who 
knows  ?  " 

And  so  they  went  away  to  the  refreshment 
table,  to  find  a  seat,  and  eat  some  fruit,  and  talk 
over  the  old  time  of  her  girlhood,  which  had 
been  so  unexpectedly  revived  for  Mrs.  Guilford. 
Long  ago,  her  dearest  school-girl  friend  had  been 
Evelyn  Jay,  Colonel  Schuyler's  niece,  who  had 
aftervrarda  married  his  only  son.  Evelyn  was  an 
orphan,  and  lived  with  her  uncle ;  and  Mrs. 
Guilford  (who  was  Laura  Wentworth  then)  had 
spent  many  a  bright  holiday  week  with  her  friend 
at  the  old  Schuyler  mansion.  The  colonel  — 
who  was  not  a  colonel  then,  by  the  way,  for  it 
was  before  the  Mexican  war  had  given  him  the 
opportunity  to  distinguish  himself —  ha  J  always 


236      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

made  a  pet  of  Evelyn's  friend,  who,  in  return, 
had  admired  him  very  heartily.  When  Evelyn 
was  married,  Laura  was  the  first  bride's  maid, 
and  for  several  years  a  close  intimacy  was  con- 
tinued between  the  families.  But  Evelyn's  health 
grew  delicate  finally,  and  the  Schuylers  went  to 
Europe  ;  and  after  that  the  intercourse  died  out, 
of  necessity. 

Laura  Wentworth  became  the  doctor's  wife, 
and  found  her  hands  full  of  many  cares  and  du- 
ties. Evelyn  Schuyler  lived  abroad,  always  an 
invalid,  but  her  life  prolonged  by  the  soft  climates 
of  Southern  Europe.  Two  or  three  children  were 
born  to  her,  and  died  early.  At  last  Violet  was 
born,  and  then  the  frail  mother  sank  into  her 
grave.  The  father  died  suddenly  soon  after,  and 
Colonel  Schuyler,  bereaved  and  alone  except  for 
his  little  orphan  grandchild,  came  back  to  his 
own  country,  where  he  lived  a  recluse  life 
throughout  her  childhood.  He  did  not  seek 
out  old  friends,  or  make  new  ones ;  and  so  it 
happened  that  when  he  came  to  Englewood, 
he  did  not  dream  of  finding  there  Evelyn's  girl- 
friend whom  he  had  once  loved  so  well.  He 
had  never  seen  her  husband,  and  had  even  for- 
gotten her  married  name,  so  that  his  interview 


THE    FAIR.  237 

with  Sydney  had  not  reminded  him  of  her.  But 
coming  face  to  face  with  her  to-night,  the  old 
memories  rushed  back,  and  he  knew  her  in  spite 
of  time  and  all  its  changes. 

They  talked  over  these  things,  sitting  comfort- 
ably together,  while  the  busy  crowd  moved  to 
and  fro,  and  the  trifles  of  the  fair  were  bought 
and  sold.  Violet,  meanwhile,  was  very  happy, 
though  rather  shy  at  finding  herself  alone  amongst 
strangers  for  the  first  time  in  her  life.  Laura 
brought  her  into  the  fragrant  bower,  and  intro- 
duced her  to  Susie,  and  May,  and  Alice,  who  were 
all  very  willing  to  be  agreeable  to  her,  —  rather 
proud,  in  fact,  of  their  distinguished  guest.  Vil- 
lage gossip  had  been  afloat  about  the  colonel  and 
his  exclusiveness,  and  it  was  something  of  an 
honor  to  be  the  first  who  were  allowed  to  pay 
attention  to  his  beautiful  little  granddaughter. 

So  the  girls  were  very  sociable  and  cordial, 
and  Violet  was  soon  put  at  ease.  She  begged 
them  to  let  her  help,  and  they  gave  her  flowers 
to  tie  into  bouquets,  and  then  she  had  customei's 
who  came  to  buy  of  her,  and  was  quite  astonished 
at  herself,  to  find  how  easily  she  fell  into  the  ways 
of  the  rest,  and  quite  delighted  at  actually  bring- 
ing money  into  the  treasury.  They  told  her 


238      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

about  the  society,  and  how  the  boys  and  girls 
had  worked  together,  and  what  they  wanted  to 
do  for  Janie  Russell ;  and  Violet  told  them  how 
she  had  seen  them  at  the  picnic,  and  wondered 
what  they  were  doing ;  and  then  they  remem- 
bered the  little  handkerchief,  and  asked  if  it  was 
really  hers ;  and  Sydney  came  up  with  Jack 
Holbrook  and  Frank  Fisher,  each  carrying  two 
plates  of  ice-cream  in  the  most  anxious  manner ; 
and  they  all  ate  cream,  and  laughed  and  chattered 
over  all  these  important  matters,  as  merrily  as  a 
whole  nest  of  magpies. 

Charlie  Cox  loo"ked  at  them  from  a  little  dis- 
tance with  wistful  eyes :  he  longed  to  be  there, 
to  have  his  share  of  the  fun,  and  to  make  ac- 
quaintance with  the  lovely  girl  who  won  so  many 
admiring  glances  from  the  other  boys.  But  he 
was  not  quite  so  cool  a  hand  as  Frank,  and  his 
uncomfortable  remembrance  of  the  orchard  affair 
made  him  shy  of  coming  near.  He  knew  of 
Sydney's  interview  with  the  colonel,  for  he  had 
guessed  that  something  of  the  sort  was  in  the 
wind,  and  Sydney  had  finally  owned  it.  It  made 
Charlie  feel  a  good  deal  ashamed  of  himself,  and 
stirred  a  hesitating  impulse  to  "  go  and  do  like- 
wise"—  an  impulse  which,  I  am  happy  to  record 


THE    FAIR.  239 

to  Charlie's  credit,  was,  in  process  of  time,  obeyed  ; 
and  not  only  so,  but  imitated  by  Frank,  who 
found  himself  unable  to  resist  the  combination. 

This  was  afterwards,  however.  There  was  no 
allusion  made  to  anything  unpleasant  while  the 
delightful  excitement  of  the  fair  kept  eyes  and 
tongues  so  busy.  Only  Laura,  with  a  word  and 
a  look  that  told  nothing  to  any  one  else,  gave 
Violet  to  understand  that  she  knew  the  whole 
story,  and  that  henceforth  she,  Laura,  was  her, 
Violet's,  sworn  friend  and  champion.  It  was 
quite  enough,  indeed,  for  Laura  to  know  that 
any  body  had  done  Sydney  a  favor :  her  good 
will  was  bespoken  at  once,  and  if  Violet  had 
been  an  ugly,  stupid  little  thing,  even,  instead  of 
a  really  lovable  girl,  it  would  have  been  all  the 
same.  Laura  would  have  stood  by  her  through 
thick  and  thin,  never  forgetting  her  obligation. 

It  was  all  the  easier  in  this  case,  for  no  one 
could  help  loving  Violet.  She  was  so  gentle,  yet 
so  bright ;  so  winsome,  yet  so  unaffected  ;  so  pretty 
and  stylish,  yet  so  utterly  unpretending,  that  they 
all  lost  their  hearts  to  her  without  reserve.  She 
was  elected  a  member  of  "  Ambo  "  unanimously, 
and  the  three  boys  snatched  ofF  their  badges,  and 
quarrelled  for  the  honor  of  presenting  her  with 


240      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

the  bit  of  blue  ribbon.  She  settled  the  difficulty 
by  choosing  Sydney's,  to  his  triumphant  delight 
and  Laura's  complacent  satisfaction  ;  and  Violet 
was  as  pleased  and  happy  with  her  decoration 
as  a  Frenchman  with  his  stars  and  orders. 

She  was  only  a  little  afraid  that  her  grandfather 
might  not  allow  her  really  to  join  the  society,  it 
was  so  different  from  all  former  regulations  and 
opinions  ;  but  then,  why  had  he  left  her  to  make 
friends  with  these  people,  if  he  had  not  meant 
her  to  go  on  with  it  afterwards?  She  could  not 
help  a  hopeful  faith  that  he  did  mean  it,  and  her 
faith  was  turned  to  a  happy  certainty  by  and  by, 
when  he  came  back  to  look  for  her. 

One  glance  at  her  glowing,  eager  face  showed 
him  that  she  had  spent  no  dull  time  since  he  left 
her ;  and  when  she  held  up  her  blue  badge  to 
him,  with  the  pleading  look  that  he  seldom  had 
the  heart  to  resist,  he  gave  his  consent  at  once. 

"  Wear  it?  Yes,  my  dear,  with  all  my  heart, 
and  become  an  honorary  Ambo.  I  know  all 
about  it,  you  see,  and  I  was  quite  sure  that  your 
ambition  would  be  fired  by  such  an  example.  I 
give  you  my  full  -consent." 

"  And  may  I  really  go  to  the  meetings  and  sew, 
and  have  '  society '  at  home,  when  my  turn 


THE    FAIR.  241 

comes,  like  the  rest?  "  she  asked,  breathless  with 
delight. 

"  Yes,  you  really  may,"  he  returned,  laugh- 
ingly, mimicking  her  eager  accents.  "And  just 
to  convince  you,  I  will  take  the  liberty  of  ap- 
pointing the  next  meeting  myself,  and  inviting  the 
whole  society  to  come  to  my  house  to-morrow 
afternoon.  I  hope  you  will  all  come,"  he  added, 
turning  to  the  little  crowd  of  listeners,  "  and  bring 
with  you  an  account  of  your  proceeds  to-night. 
Perhaps  I  can  give  you  a  little  advice  about  in- 
vesting them." 

There  was  a  good-natured  twinkle  in  his  eye, 
a  significant  smile  about  his  lips,  that  Violet  un- 
derstood very  well.  She  knew  that  the  "  little 
advice"  would  end  in  a  liberal  contribution,  and 
tiie  others  had  a  shrewd  suspicion  of  the  same 
thing.  They  accepted  the  invitation  with  prompt 
s.itis faction,  and  the  pleasant  tidings  flew  about 
from  tongue  to  tongue,  till  all  "  Ambo "  knew 
presently  the  new  treat  that  was  in  store  for  to- 
morrow. 

Violet  and  her  grandfather  took  a  turn  through 
the  room,  meanwhile,  to  make  some  purchases  at 
the  tables,  whose  contents  were  rapidly  disap- 
pearing. The  shoe  was  vacated,  and  the  little 


242      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

old  woman  was  fluttering  about  the  room,  hold- 
ing proudly  in  her  arms  the  last  and  handsomest 
doll  of  her  collection,  which  Mrs.  Delancy  her- 
self had  bought,  and  presented  to  Miss  Flossy. 
It  was  a  marvellous  creature,  all  pink  silk  and 
blonde  lace,  buttoned  boots  and  flaxen  hair,  "  the 
beautifulest  doll  that  ever  was  seen  ;  "  and  Flossy 
had  held  it,  with  longing  desire  to  own  it,  all 
the  evening.  She  could  not  bear  to  tell  its 
price  to  customers,  or  have  any  one  look  at  it  as 
if  they  meant  to  buy  ;  and  when  it  actually  came 
to  her,  as  Mrs.  Delancy  (who  had  bought  it  in 
advance,  unknown  to  Flossy)  had  all  along  in- 
tended it  should,  she  did  not  know  how  to  contain 
her  happiness.  The  world  was  certainly  not 
empty  to  her  in  that  felicitous  moment,  whether 
the  doll  was  stufied  with  sawdust  or  not ! 

Violet  fell  in  love  with  a  portfolio  of  little  Olive 
Raymond's  leaf-impi'essions,  and  paid  a  price  for 
it  that  astonished  Elsie  as  much  as  it  delighted 
her.  She  bought  the  rustic  frames,  too,  that 
held  Janie  Russell's  drawings,  and  of  course  the 
drawings  with  them  ;  and  she  won  Gertie  Fisher's 
gratitude  by  taking  possession  of  a  hopelessly 
ugly  pin-cushion,  that  everybody  else  had  re- 
jected. It  was  Gertie's  own  work,  and  she  was 


THE    FAIR.  243 

dismally  afraid  of  having  it  left  upon  her  hands 
—  a  fear  which  Violet's  sweet  intuitions  had  de- 
tected ;  and  hence  the  purchase.  But  Gertie  was 
never  allowed  to  guess  the  truth. 

Mrs.  Deluncy's  afghan  was  another  of  the 
unsalable  articles ;  not  because  it  was  ugly,  but 
too  handsome  and  costly  for  most  purchasers. 
The  colonel's  eye  was  attracted  by  it :  it  was 
just  the  thing  for  a  pony  phaeton  that  was  to  be 
Violet's  next  birthday  gift ;  and  he  appropriated  it 
promptly,  enriching  Elsie's  cash-box  with  a  crisp 
fifty  dollar  note,  and  making  her  glad  in  propor- 
tion. She  did  not  want  Mrs.  Dclancy's  gift,  of 
all  others,  to  be  unavailable,  and  her  face  was 
bright  when  she  ran  to  tell  the  good  news  to  her 
dearly-loved  teacher. 

Mrs.  Guilford  came  up  to  them  while  Elsie 
was  describing  the  colonel's  munificence,  and 
considered  it  a  good  opportunity  to  bring  the 
colonel  and  Violet  to  be  introduced  to  Mrs.  Dc- 
lancy.  There  was  some  more  pleasant  talk  then, 
shared  by  the  doctor,  who  had  just  "looked  in" 
to  bring  his  wife  and  children  home  ;  and  Violet 
recognized  another  of  her  picnic  memories  in 
"  the  Easter  lily  face."  Llbie  felt  sure  that  the  new 
comer  was  no  second  edition,  of  Maddy  Shaw, 


244      A  WRONG  CONFESSED   IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

and  was  as  pleased  as  the  rest  to  see  the  blue 
badge  on  her  shoulder  ;  and  Violet,  for  her  part, 
thought  she  had  fallen  into  a  sort  of  paradise  of 
"  nice  "  girls. 

It  would  be  very  pleasant  —  only  one  must  not 
make  too  long  a  story  —  to  describe  the  colonel's  re- 
ception of  his  guests  the  next  afternoon.  The  whole 
society  was  there,  and  "  Ambo  "  certainly  never 
had  had  so  "  festive  a  time  "  before,  nor  had  Violet 
ever  in  her  life  been  quite  so  happy.  The  love 
of  hospitality  was  born  in  her,  and  now  for  the 
first  time  she  was  at  liberty  to  exercise  it  fully. 
Nowhere  could  have  been  found  a  more  delighted, 
as  well  as  delightful,  little  hostess ;  she  was  so 
happy  to  have  guests  to  entertain,  that  they  could 
not  help  being  happy  in  their  entertainment. 

The  colonel,  besides,  had  given  munificent 
orders,  and  the  whole  house  was  thrown  open  to 
the  visitors.  They  could  go  to  and  fro  as  they 
would,  and  help  themselves  to  all  the  treasures 
of  garden,  and  orchard,  and  hot-house.  Refresh- 
ment tables  were  laid  on  the  lawn,  it  was  so 
summer-like  a  day ;  and  all  about  in  the  trees 
and  shrubbery  there  were  colored  lamps  and 
transparencies,  like  magnified  fireflies. 


THE    FAIR.  245 

This  was  in  the  evening  ;  but  before  that,  some 
important  matters  hail  been  settled.  They  had 
brought  up,  as  the  colonel  had  requested,  their 
account  of  sales  from  each  table,  and  in  the  ag- 
gregate they  amounted  to  an  unexpectedly  large 
sum.  The  boys'  table  had  netted  seventy-five 
dollars  ;  the  refreshment  table  one  hundred,  the 
girls'  table  two  hundred,  and  Flora's  Temple 
fifty.  Besides  which  they  had  taken  in  twenty- 
five  dollars  for  admission  tickets,  and  ten  dollars 
at  "  the  wheel  of  fortune  ;  "  making,  in  all,  four 
hundred  and  sixty  dollars. 

This  amazing  sum,  in  a  bewildering  variety 
of  currency,  had  been  handed  to  Mrs.  Guilford 
for  safe  keeping ;  and  Laura  had  gained  her 
heart's  desire  for  Janie.  Both  her  mother  and 
Mrs.  Delancy  had  decided  that  they  could  safely 
undertake  to  give  Janie  one  year,  at  least,  at 
the  School  of  Design  ;  and  all  the  members  of 
the  society  had  agreed  to  this  disposition  of  the 
money,  as  the  best  use  it  could  be  put  to. 

Some  of  them  lamented  a  little  over  poor  Mrs. 
Riley  and  her  sewing  machine  ;  and  Laura  her- 
self sighed  inwardly  as  she  thought  of  the  pale, 
patient  woman,  stitching  away  so  wearily  day 


246      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

after  day,  and  spending  so  much  of  her  hard 
earnings  to  pay  for  the  hired  machine. 

"  If  we  could  only  do  both  !  "  she  said  to  Elsie  ; 
"  but  it's  quite  impossible  —  isn't  it  ?  With  Janie's 
board  to  pay  in  New  York,  and  all  the  other  ex- 
penses, —  she  needs  so  many  clothes,  you  know, 
—  I  don't  see  how  we  can  venture  to  take  out  the 
money  for  a  sewing  machine.  Do  you  ?  " 

"  No,"  Elsie  sighed.  "  I  wish  we  could,  but 
I'm  afraid  we  ought  not.  One  thing  we  can  do, 
at  all  events ;  there  are  some  of  those  little  petti- 
coats and  aprons  that  didn't  get  sold,  and  they 
will  just  fit  little  Johnny.  We  can  give  her  those  ; 
and  then  I  think  we  might  take  that  odd  ten  dol- 
lars, —  the  wheel  of  fortune  money,  —  and  pay 
two  months'  rent  of  her  machine.  It  will  not 
make  so  much  difference  in  Janie's  outfit,  and  it 
will  help  Mrs.  Riley  a  good  deal.  Do  you  think 
the  girls  will  mind?" 

"  No,  indeed  ;  I  think  they  will  be  glad,  and  / 
am  glad  you  thought  of  it,  Elsie,"  Laura  an- 
swered, warmly. 

So  when  they  all  met  at  the  Manor-house  on 
Saturday,  it  was  proposed,  and  consented  to 
unanimously,  and  then  submitted  laughingly  to  the 
colonel  for  approval,  since  he  had  volunteered 


THE    FA1II.  247 

his  advice  concerning  "  investment."  But  the 
colonel  wrinkled  his  brows,  and  declined  to  ap- 
prove. 

"  I  object,  decidedly,"  he  stated,  with  a  grandly 
stern  air.  "  You  have  collected  a  certain  sum 
for  a  certain  object ;  a  very  praiseworthy  object, 
too,  allow  me  to  say,  and  one  that  meets  my  cor- 
dial sympathy.  If  my  advice  is  taken,  this  sum 
will  not  be  frittered  away  in  any  minor  char- 
ities, however  excellent  in  themselves." 

"  But  poor  Mrs.  Riley !  "  Laura  exclaimed, 
with  a  half-indignant  pity.  "  Must  nothing  be 
clone  for  her  at  all  ?  " 

"Yes,  Miss  Laura,  something  must  certainly 
bo  done  ;  but  we  must  not  rob  Peter  to  give  to 
Paul." 

"  It  is  taking  very  little  from  Janie,"  Elsie  ven- 
tured to  suggest.  u  I  think  it  would  not  really  be 
missed  for  her,  and  it  would  be  a  help  to  Mrs. 
Riley.  She  has  three  children  to  work  for,  and 
her  machine  to  hire." 

"  It  would  be  more  economical  for  her  to  buy 
a  machine,"  said  the  colonel,  coolly.  "  It  is  a 
great  waste  to  hire." 

"  That's  easy  to  say,"  Laura  returned,  trying 
not  to  look  as  vexed  as  she  felt.  "  But  we  might 


248       A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

just  as  well  tell  Mrs.  Riley  to  buy  a  farm,  just 
as  'well." 

"  I  dare  say  you  are  right,"  said  the  colonel ; 
"  and  that  being  the  case,  Miss  Laura,  I  have  a 
little  proposition  to  make.  If  you  and  these 
other  young  ladies  will  select  the  sewing  machine 
for  Mrs.  Riley,  I  will  agree  to  pay  the  bills.  How 
will  that  suit  the  case  ?  " 

It  suited  it  perfectly,  apparently,  if  one  could 
judge  from  the  general  demonstration  which  fol- 
lowed. The  girls  went  into  a  rapture  of  excla- 
mations and  thanks,  and  the  boys  proposed  u  three 
cheers  for  the  colonel,"  as  "their  expression  of 
opinion.  And  so  it  was  settled,  and  the  two 
great  things  were  as  good  as  accomplished,  be- 
yond everybody's  wildest  anticipations. 

It  was  a  clay  to  be  remembered,  that  sunshiny, 
beautiful  Saturday,  a  week  later,  .when  Laura  and 
Violet,  escorted  by  the  colonel,  took  a  trip  to  New 
York  to  buy  the  sewing  machine,  and  to  make 
arrangements  for  Janie's  admission  to  the  School 
of  Design.  Laura  could  count  the  number  of 
times  she  had  been  upon  Broadway  in  her  life  ; 
and  the  mere  visit  to  the  great  city  was  a  novelty 
and  a  delight,  to  say  nothing  of  the  charm  in  her 
errands. 


THE    FAIR.  249 

The  long,  stately  saloon,  where  the  sewing  ma- 
chines stood  in  glittering  rows  of  polished  woods 
and  shining  metals,  was  their  first  destination ; 
and  Laura,  who  was  born  for  a  busy  bee,  was  much 
interested  in  all  she-  saw  there.  There  was  a 
gentleman  who  took  them  all  over  the  establish- 
.ment,  seeing  the  interest  which  the  girls  mani- 
fested, and  showed  them  a  great  many  curious 
and  pretty  things ;  amongst  others  an  exquisite 
little  model  of  a  sewing  machine,  only  twelve 
inches  high,  with  a  case  of  carved  tortoise-shell, 
which  had  been  wrought  with  care  and  patient 
skill  by  a  blind  man. 

He  took  them  into  the  large,  airy  work-room, 
where  rows  of  neat,  cheerful-looking  girls  were 
doing  marvels  of  dainty  stitching  with  their 
flying  machines  ;  then  up  into  the  elegant  instruc- 
tion-rooms, where  ladies  were  learning  the  mys- 
teries of  shuttle  and  treadle  ;  then  to  see  the  but- 
ton-hole machine,  and  wonder  at  the  fairy-like  ease 
and  rapidity  with  which  those  troublesome  little 
affairs  could  be  perfected  ;  and  at  last  won  Laura's 
heart  completely  by  adding,  free  of  charge,  a 
"  corder,"  and  "  binder,"  and  "  hemmer,"  to  the 
machine  which  was  selected  for  Mrs.  Riley. 

••A   contribution    from    'the   company'    to   a 


250      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

charitable  object,"  he  said  ;  for  Laura  had  ex- 
plained,'a  little  to  the  colonel's  annoyance,  that 
the  machine  was  to  be  his  gift  to  a  poor  woman. 
She  knew  the  value  of  such  additions  to  a  skilful 
seamstress,  and  it  was  the  finishing  touch  to  her 
satisfaction. 

From  Wheeler  &  Wilson's  they  went  up  town 
and  across  to  the  Cooper  Institute.  There  were 
still  more  interesting  things  to  be  seen  ;  and  both 
the  girls  were  fascinated  with  their  tour  of  in- 
spection through  the  cheerful  suite  of  rooms 
appropriated  to  the  School  of  Design.  Violet 
could  have  lingered  all  day  long  amongst  the 
sketches,  and  models,  and  studies,  watching  the 
girls  at  their  delicate  work.  Some  were  shading 
crayon  portraits  with  cautious  touches ;  some 
modelling  in  clay,  with  bold,  skilful  fingers ; 
others  elaborating  miniature  scenes  on  square,  tiny 
wooden  blocks ;  others  again,  with  the  gravers' 
tools,  cutting  them  into  dainty  relief  for  transfer 
upon  paper. 

There  was  enough  to  see  and  hear,  especially 
for  such  a  little  art-lover  as  Violet,  to  have  mo- 
nopolized the  whole  day.  But. Colonel  Schuyler 
was  not  so  enthusiastic  on  the  subject,  and  there 
was  luncheon  to  be  considered,  to  say  nothing  of 


THE    FAIR.  251 

being  in  time  for  the  afternoon  boat,  to  go  up  the 
river  again.  So  he  had  to  cut  short  her  raptures, 
and  take  her  away,  when  the  business  which  had 
brought  them  was  settled. 

O 

He  obtained  the  promise  of  Janie's  free  ad- 
mission to  all  the  advantages  of  the  school,  cer- 
tain conditions  being  complied  with  ;  all  of  which, 
fortunately,  were  within  Janie's  reach.  And 
they  went  away,  well  content  with  the  morning's 
work. 

Mrs.  Delancy  had  undertaken  to  make  arrange- 
ments for  a  suitable  home  for  their  protegee  in 
the  great  city,  and  Mrs.  Guilford  had  promised 
to  superintend  other  needful  preparations.  So 
there  was  no  more  business  to  attend  to  now,  and 
nothing  certainly  to  interfere  with  their  enjoyment 
of  a  marvellous  luncheon  at  Delmonico's,  and  a 
swift  little  drive  in  the  Park  afterwards,  before 
it  was  time  to  take  the  homeward  boat. 

How  pleasant  all  this  might  have  been,  one 
does  not  need  be  told.  And  one  can  imagine 
the  pleasantness  that  followed  afterwards,  too  ;  in 
taking  Janie  Russell's  breath  away  with  the  won- 
derful news,  —  no  hint  of  which  had  been  al- 
lowed to  reach  her  before,  —  and  in  seeing  poor, 
patient  Mrs.  Riley's  speechless  delight  over  her 


252      A  WRONG  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED. 

beautiful  sewing  machine.  All  such  scenes  peo- 
ple realize,  after  their  own  "  way  of  putting 
things."  There  is  no  describing  them. 

Some  day,  we  may  hear  more  of  Janie,  and 
what  she  is  doing  in  her  new  life.  Meanwhile 
let  us  remember,  in  whatever  faults  and  follies 
we  unwisely  commit,  whatever  "  scrapes "  we 
unluckily  tumble  into,  that 

"  A  FAULT  CONFESSED  IS  HALF  REDRESSED." 


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THE     70UNO     SHIPBUILDERS     OF    ELM    ISLAND, 
IGmo.     Illustrated.     $1.25. 

"  Mr.  Kellogg  is  winning  laurels  as  a  writer  for  and  educator  of  youth 
Health  and  vigor  are  in  his  writings,  and  the  lad  has  more  of  the  first-clas* 
man  in  him  after  the  perusal."  —  Providence  Press. 


Sold  by  all  Booksellers  and  Newsdealers,  and  sent  by  mail,  postpaid, 
on  receipt  of  price. 

LEE  &  SHEPARD,  Publishers,  Boston. 


This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last 
date  stamped  below 


lOm-ll,  '50(2555)470 


THE 

UNIVERSITY  Or  CALIFORNIA 
LOS  ANGELES 


PZ6 


B?2?w    A  wrong  confess- 
ed  is  half 


redressed. 


B727* 


